Who Can It Be Now
by KayKayeLLe
Summary: Mary's falling for Wilson again. Too bad it can't last. Chapter Seventeen: Final Chapter
1. Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: I do not own 7th Heaven, GlenOak, Mary, Wilson, Billy, or any of the Camdens or their fellow GlenOakians that will appear in this story. They belong to Brenda Hampton, Aaron Spelling, The WB, and Paramount. The title is taken from an 80's song from Men at Work.

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A/N: I don't really know what to say about this. It's set, I think I'm going with late Winter, early Spring of Season 8. And, just so that you have a little bit of a heads up, these whole first three or four chapters are not the actual story. They're just the set-up for what I really want to explore. It'll end up going sci-fi-esque, trust me, just not for a while. And no, there will not be any aliens. I guess supernatural would be a better word.

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**Who Can It Be Now**

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Mary made a right turn off the main drag and onto a side street. Then a left, right, and then two more rights after that. She stopped at a sign that said "Construction Entrance Only" and looked around. It was 8:30 at night and no one was around as far as Mary could see. She went through the entrance that took her almost directly to Wilson's new house. Mary took a left and turned down his street, passing the only other house that had people in it, and pulled into Wilson's driveway.

Mary got out of her black sedan and a chill went down her spine. Wilson was the first one to buy into his development. In fact, that was the only way he could afford to buy his first house- getting in on pre-construction pricing. Because of that, he was one of two homes alive with people in them for about five or so acres. Mary always felt safe around Wilson, but she feared for him being alone in that house in the wee hours of the night with just Billy.

Mary knocked on the front door and let herself in with the key Wilson had given her a few weeks earlier. Wilson came into the foyer from the living room where he had been sitting with Billy. He went over to her and kissed her lightly.

"Hello," she said cheerily.

Wilson noticed the look in her eyes, the same look she had every time she came over at night. "What?"

She spun away from him and put her purse on a nearby table. "What 'what?'?"

"You know what. You're scared again." He placed his hands on Mary's elbows. "There's nothing to be scared of. Just because it's empty out here does not mean something is going to happen."

She glared at him. "I'm not scared."

He kissed her again. "Whatever you say."

Billy came running in and gave Mary a hug.

"Hey kiddo, how are you?"

"Good." He smiled.

She followed Billy back into the living room. "How was school today?"

"Boring, except for recess. We played TV tag."

Wilson sat down next to Mary and squeezed her knee. "How do you play that?"

"Well," Billy started, "there's no base. So when you think you're gonna get tagged, you go down on the floor," Billy demonstrated in front of the couch, "and say the name of a TV show. Then whoever's 'It' can't tag you."

Mary looked to Wilson and he smiled at her. She blushed, looked down at her hands, and then back to Billy. "Speaking of school, have you showered yet?"

"No." He sighed. "I'm going." Billy reluctantly trudged up the stairs, leaving Mary and Wilson alone.

Mary smiled at Wilson. "So…now that I have gotten us alone for ten minutes-"

"Ten minutes? Billy likes to take nice, long twenty-five minutes showers."

Mary giggled. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. We won't see him for at least another half an hour, probably more."

"I see."

Wilson went in for the kill. He turned toward Mary, placing a hand on her cheek. He stroked her skin before moving in to kiss her. She allowed him in, like she had done so many times before, and got lost in the sensation. She was all set to make out with Wilson for a half an hour, when half-way through she pictured them kissing out in the middle of nowhere- in a dark hole that was the bustling town of GlenOak. She couldn't shake the image from her mind. Mary pried her lips from Wilson's and, with eyes closed, rested her forehead on his.

"At least let me give you Kevin's number. He'll come and help you if anything were to happen."

"If it will make you feel better." Wilson went to kiss Mary again, but she pulled back. Since she wasn't having any more of that, he knew he would have to talk to her about this. Personally, he thought that Mary was paranoid, crazy even, but he would never tell her to her face. Still, he knew she knew what he thought of her. That was why she was never really able to come right out and tell Wilson she hated him living in a deserted spot off of North Street. "I'll tell you what. Saturday morning, we can both go to the hardware store together and pick up some flood lights. …I can point them at the house so it's not so dark out there."

She stood and sighed. "Fine."

Her tone did not go unnoticed to Wilson. "What? What do you want me to say to you? I'm sick of fighting over this Mary. This is where I live now. And, like it or not, I have no intentions of leaving. I'm not scared and I'm sorry that you are. But this is it, honey. Take it or leave it."

"Oh, of course I'll take it, but I'm going home." She stood.

Wilson went from slightly frustrated to very frustrated. "Why?"

"Because you think I'm crazy." He came over and put his arms around her waist, his lips in a mock pout. "And I'm tired."

Wilson pulled Mary in closer and kissed her neck. "Can't I entice you to stay the night?"

Her hands went to his shoulders. "Oh, of course you could. But I wouldn't. Besides, Billy is home and we both have to work tomorrow morning." Their relationship had always been more of a weekend thing, and only recently had Mary started to come over during the week. Since Wilson had given her a key, she figured it was her obligation to put it to good use and drop by whenever she missed him. "And…"

Wilson knew there was an "and". He smiled knowingly. "Yes?"

"And nothing. I'm just going to leave Kevin's number and be on my way. You'll be rid of me and my crazy antics."

Wilson pulled her back. "You know that I don't want to be rid of you. I want you to stay. At least stay for an hour if you don't want to stay over." He stepped in closer to her body and whispered into her ear. "You know I'll make it worth your while."

Just as Mary was about to give in to temptation and melt into Wilson, Billy came bounding down the stairs, just in time to ruin all the fun. He sat down on the couch, saying nothing, and turned on the TV. Mary heard Wilson sigh into her ear. He kissed her neck and pulled back from Mary, keeping one hand on her hip.

"That was fast," Wilson yelled out to Billy.

"There's something I wanted to see at 9:00. I didn't want to miss it."

"When is it over?"

"9:30."

"You can stay up until then, but right after it's done you have to go to bed, OK?"

"OK." Billy grinned widely. "Thanks Dad."

Mary looked at Wilson, perplexed. "Isn't that a half hour past his regular bed time?"

"Yes, but I feel bad for him. He had to switch schools again and there aren't any kids here for him to play with. A few extra minutes on occasion won't hurt anyone."

Mary smiled a genuine smile. Wilson really was the most considerate person she had ever met. He really cared about how his actions affected others, and always thought everything through before he acted, a byproduct of his rash decisions as a teenager Mary assumed. He was the sweetest, most level-headed guy she ever had had the pleasure of meeting. Needless to say she was crazy about him. "That's sweet of you. But, unfortunately, it's passed my bed time." Mary put her hand on his chest. "I'll see you… whenever I see you."

"I'll be looking forward to that." She turned toward the door, but turned back. "Having second thoughts? You can still stay."

"I know." She half-smiled. "I just want to go home." Mary picked up her purse. "Walk me out?"

"Sure." Wilson turned his head on Billy's direction. "I'm going to walk Mary to her car; I'll be right back."

Billy said that that was OK and Wilson walked Mary outside. The lights from inside his house were enough to illuminate most of his driveway, but not much more of the cul de sac. Mary put her keys in her ignition and turned on her lights to allow them to see better.

"Mare-" Wilson let out a sharp breath and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For being insensitive. I shouldn't have been so forward."

She knew what he meant and why he meant it. "Wilson, don't even think about it. I didn't."

"I know."

Now it was Mary's turn to catch the look in Wilson's eyes. He didn't know it, but Mary knew all about reading his face. She'd pasted enough expressions together over the years to amass a good mental guide of what he was feeling or thinking about by looking at him. Right now, he was thinking about her. 'Her' as in Billy's mother. He rarely ever talked about her, but it was so easy to tell when she was on his mind. Wilson got this distant look in his eyes, yet he intently contemplated Mary's face. It was a hard thing to describe, but it was unmistakable when seen. Mary was unsure what had brought the look on, but guessed that it was about him pressuring her to stay over and his intentions for the evening when Mary called and said she was coming over.

Mary reached out and grabbed Wilson's face, kissing his lips sensually. "Don't get so worked up sweetie."

"But-" He struggled with what he wanted to say.

"I respect what you want from our relationship just as much as I respect what I want from it myself." He still had the look in his eyes, but Mary knew that that was not something she would be able to get rid of. "Now let me go. I want to get to bed so I can conserve my energy for the next time you see me."

He laughed and eased. "OK." He leaned in and kissed her chastely. "Bye Mary."

"Bye."

Wilson stood back and watched Mary drive away into the blackness. When he stood outside by himself, he thought that Mary might have a point about it being creepy, but quickly dispelled those thoughts. He was a man, and men were not allowed to be afraid of the dark. He needed to set a good example for Billy. Besides, in nine hours the sun would be coming back up again and all would be well. He just needed to make it through the night.

Wilson laughed to himself as he turned back to his house. Mary had forgotten about Kevin's number.

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A/N: See, I told you it was bad. And trust me, it gets worse. But I figured since I have eight chapters, time to post this puppy and see how it fares. Next chapter I think is the hardware store. You'll get some of Mary's backstory there.

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Review if you're afraid of the dark.

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	2. Chapter 2

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Mary, Wilson, and Billy got out of Wilson's navy SUV and walked toward the hardware store. It was Saturday morning, and they were out to get lights for the front of Wilson's house just as he had promised earlier in the week. Mary walked through the parking lot between Wilson and Billy, Billy chatting her up and Wilson with his arm around her waist. They walked to the 'outdoor' section of the store and sought out some of their lighting options.

"What about these?" Mary asked, pointing to a set of four lights. "They're solar powered, and go on as soon as the sun goes down. You won't have to wire anything and won't have to worry about remembering to turn them off."

Wilson looked leery. "How much?"

"$49.99." Wilson groaned. "But just think, you'll save money on your electric bill. And they're not that much more than the regular lights."

Wilson looked at Mary seriously. "If I get them, will you stop worrying all the time?"

"I'll try my hardest," she reasoned like a little girl with her father.

"All right then." He took the box from Mary's hand. "Sold."

The triplet started to walk away from the lights and toward the front of the store, so Billy assumed they were done.

"OK, now what are we going to do?"

Wilson laughed at the short attention span of his son. "Well, we're going to go pay for these."

Young Billy looked around the store as he followed his father and Mary. "But the registers are the other way."

Wilson squeezed Mary's hand. "I know. We're just walking by something, and then we're going to check out."

Billy was confused, but went along with it anyway. Wilson was going to go past the spot where he and Mary met- at least where he and Mary met this time. It was the paint aisle. Wilson was in there looking for paint for his new house, and Mary was in there as a favor to her mother. Mary had recently annulled her three month marriage to Carlos after he left her signs of being less than faithful, and she was feeling a little down. Annie had commandeered Mary to help paint the twins' bedroom to give her something to do. Little did Annie know how much she would help Mary.

_Wilson asked Mary for his opinion on what color he should paint Billy's room, more in the interest of making small talk than anything else, but Mary had picked out the perfect color in an instant. She went to the green section, Billy's favorite color, and picked out a nice shade of sage that was muted enough to not be overbearing but bright enough to catch Billy's attention._

_"He'll like this one," she said simply as she handed him the paint swatch._

_Their eyes locked and, in that instant, memories of everything flooded both of their heads. When they felt these feelings, they knew that they were meant to be together. Since Wilson was so sure right then and there, he blurted out what was on his mind._

_"Are you seeing anyone?" he asked after a quick glance down at her ring finger._

_She laughed. "I pick out paint and now you want to date me?"_

_He couldn't take his eyes off of her. "Yes." _

_She laughed again, but this time at how dumbfounded Wilson was in her presence._

_"One date," Wilson pleaded. He usually wasn't this brazen, but he felt like he had to grab onto Mary or fear losing her again. "Then if it's not there anymore we can go our separate ways."_

_She smiled at him, knowing his intentions were genuine. "OK," she said. "But, uh, I guess I should warn you, I don't know how long I am back here for."_

_Wilson_ _saw the way Mary had chosen her words. He wanted to scream out 'Who hurt you, and where can I find him to repay the favor?' but didn't in keeping with his better judgment. "What happened?"_

_"I was married for three months. I just got it annulled a week and a half ago."_

_Wilson_ _looked confused. "How can you get an annulment after three months?"_

_Mary shrugged. "Ask my busybody father. But, at any rate… I don't want to get your hopes up."_

_"All right, but why are you telling me this? The Mary Camden I knew would have kept this a secret for at least a month, maybe two."_

_"She grew up I guess. That's what happens when your husband and only lover sleeps around."_

Mary looked back on that day fondly. She looked at that as the day where she was finally able to start moving on. Her family saw her latching onto Wilson again as taking a step backward, but Mary knew it was the complete opposite. They had both grown immensely in the time they had apart, and now they were revisiting their relationship with two entirely different perspectives on life.

Mary picked up the sage green paint swatch and handed it to Wilson. "A token of my affection," she said with a smile.

Wilson laughed. "Why thank you honey."

"Hey!" Billy pointed to the square in Wilson's hand. "That's the color of my room."

"I know. I picked it out," Mary said as she moved closer to Wilson. "That was how I met your dad again."

"Really?"

"Yup." The grins on both Mary and Wilson's faces was apparent.

Mary playfully slapped Wilson on the butt. "OK, let's get going."

The trio went back to Wilson's house and installed the new lights. Well, Mary and Wilson installed the lights while Billy looked on and ran around the front lawn, pretending that he was really helping. It only took them about a half an hour to get everything working properly. Mary was much happier now that the house was more lit up than before.

They walked back into the house and they all flopped down on the couch. Mary surveyed the room, and her eyes caught the white carpet in the room- another thing Mary always heckled Wilson about. She knew that the only reason he had had the white carpet installed was that it cost more money to upgrade to a different color, money he did not have. Still, she could not believe that people actually had bright white carpet in their homes, especially with a young boy.

"So… now that I've fixed your lighting situation and I picked out the color for Billy's room, do you think we could do something about this carpet?"

"Mare-"

She laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Calm down."

Billy laughed at Mary and flipped on the TV. Commercials were on, and a trailer played for the new children's movie that had come out the day before.

"I want to see that," Billy announced as he pointed to the screen.

"You know," Wilson said while looking at Mary, "Grandma's been wanting to take you out somewhere. You could call her and ask her if she'd want to take you."

Billy jumped up and lunged for the phone. He asked his father for the number and dialed it carefully.

"Hi Grandma," Billy said when she answered. "It's me, Billy. Do you want to take me to the movies?"

"Billy," Wilson reprimanded his son as Mary laughed.

"Sorry. Will you take me to the movies, _please_?" He paused while he listened, said OK, and then handed the phone to Wilson.

"Hi Mom," Wilson said.

"Hey sweetie. What are you up to?"

"Nothing. Just sitting here with Mary. We just came back from the hardware store."

"Oh, Mary's there. No wonder you wanted Billy out of the house. Look, I'd love to take Billy to the movies, but I've got some things to do this afternoon. I'll take him out tonight, though. We can go for pizza and then go see the movie. He can even sleep over if he'd like."

"I'm sure he'd love that. Thanks Mom."

Wilson and Mary played with Billy for the rest of the afternoon. The tension was almost insurmountable. As much as they loved Billy and spending time with him and his new house, they were in desperate need of some alone time. Mary had been over for a few times that week, but nothing had come of it. Mary really didn't want to traumatize Billy for life by having him hear or see something he shouldn't.

Mrs. West couldn't come soon enough. When she finally did show up around six o'clock, Mary's cell phone rang. Groaning, Mary ran over and answered her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey." It was Lucy. "I just wanted to know where you were. We haven't seen you all day."

Mary knew 'we' implied the family. "Luce, we all had breakfast together."

"Yeah, but then you left."

Mary sighed into the phone. "And where did I go when I left this morning."

"To Wilson's."

"…And where do you think I am now?"

"Wilson's?" Lucy guessed.

"Very good."

"OK, OK. You don't have to be rude about it."

Mary felt bad. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rip your head off. I'm just sick of you guys worrying about me. I'm fine, everything here is fine. I love you guys, but I can take care of myself." The Camden family had been so worried about Mary since her breakup with Carlos, the same way Wilson's family was after his failed engagement with Corey Conway. That was why Mary and Wilson worked extra well this time; they were both coming from, more or less, the same place.

"We worry because we love you."

"I know." Mary saw Wilson's mother leave with Billy and smiled seductively at him. "I've got to go now Luce. I'll see you later."

Wilson walked over to Mary and hugged her first before trying anything, pulling her body into his. He breathed in the smell of her dirty blonde colored hair as he savored her. The complex that he had had when he was a little boy, the one about losing someone he got close, was not something he was able to get rid of. But Wilson made a promise to himself this time. He was not going to let his fears push Mary away. He'd done that too many times before. This was a time to throw caution to the wind and just enjoy being together and having their adult, physical relationship. They both could use a little bit of fun, and were very much deserving.

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A/N: I think some of you were confused where I am going with this. Just keep reading. Eventually, you'll see the totally ridiculous plot twist and bask in all of preposterous its glory. I know the excitement might seem unbearable, but it will all be OK. Trust me.

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Want to take a plot guess? Review.

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	3. Chapter 3

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Mary crept up the driveway of the church rectory, better known as the Camden house. She was trying to sneak in unnoticed that Sunday morning, like she had done so many times in the past. This time, however, she had slept a little later than usual. Wilson often joked about her not being able to drag herself out of bed the next day, but it was all true. She never had a sleep so peaceful as when she was laying nestled into Wilson for what was left of the night- hence her arriving back home at 6:45 instead of her goal of 5:00.

Just when Mary put her hand on the knob of the back door, Lucy called out to her. Mary had been caught.

Slowly, she turned around. "What are you doing up this early?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, crossing her arms. "Wasn't that the same outfit you had on yesterday?"

Mary glared at her. "Lucy-"

She was not backing down. "Mary."

"What do you want me to say to you?" She knew it was too obvious for her to hide it. Besides, this was Lucy. She would have been the first one to suspect even if she hadn't been caught red handed.

Lucy sighed and approached her older sister. "It's that serious, huh?"

Mary could not contain her grin. "Yeah, it is. I'm…"

"Smitten?"

"Yeah, that fits."

Lucy could only laugh, but then pointed her finger seriously at Mary. "Be careful."

Mary rolled her eyes. "We are; we're not that stupid. _He_'s not that stupid."

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To Mary's surprise, Wilson and Billy met her at church that morning. Wilson had picked Billy up from his mother's after Mary had left and, after Billy changed, they came right to church. This relationship had been more about him and Mary than Wilson's interaction with her family, but he still felt it would be a nice gesture for him to go to church a time or two. He and Mary were getting more and more serious with each day that passed.

Mary grinned widely when Wilson tapped her on the shoulder as she was seated in a pew. She stood and hugged him tightly, only pulling away when she heard her family's voices behind her.

"Wilson," Annie called out. "What a pleasant surprise! Mary didn't tell us that you planned on coming."

"Well that was probably because she didn't know. This was sort of an ambush-visit."

Mary laughed at him. Everything Wilson said or did was funny to her; she giggled at all the right times. Mary was really falling for him. When her family finally stopped bombarding him with tons of questions, only half of which Mary would have classified as personally invasive, they all sat down. Mary sat close enough to Wilson so that he would be constantly thinking about her, but not too close to be thought of as crude in a place of worship.

"So," Wilson said into Mary's ear as he leaned toward her, "you don't mind us coming?"

"Not at all. Why?"

"Because I did try to call you know, but your phone was off."

"Sorry, but I can't charge it with it on."

"But you know, I could have just called Kevin and gotten in touch with you that way if I wanted to."

Mary smiled. She knew Wilson was referring to Kevin's number that she had taped to his fridge this morning before she slipped out of his house. "I told you I was going to give it to you."

He laughed. "Yeah, five days ago."

She hit him playfully in the side of the arm. "Just be happy I remembered at all."

"I am." He picked up Mary's hand. "Thank you."

Mary leaned into Wilson, holding his hand in her lap and smiling as she listened to her father speak. Reverend Camden was speaking on trust, trusting in God help take you into the afterlife and protect you. As Protestants, they believed that every person has eternal life, but where you spend it is determined by your actions while you are alive. Heaven is a glorious location where there is an absence of pain, disease, sexual activity, and depression; in a sense, paradise. To be granted access to heaven, you must repent your sins and accept the teaching of Christianity into you life.

Mary thought about what her father was saying for the first time in a long time, and she had some internal questions. Of course, she would never verbalize them, but she did wonder about her own life. If she acknowledged her sins to herself and not to anyone else, did that still count? If she told someone about her sins who was not a member of the clergy, would that work? Wilson turned and smiled at Mary, containing his laughter over her furrowed brow. He loved her when she was deep in thought.

Mary went back home with Wilson after the service. She had only been apart from him for a total of three and a half hours in a twenty-four hour period, but she hated being without him. It was like she couldn't breathe when he wasn't there. She really felt like she needed him. It was killing her to be so clingy, but there was no helping it.

As the three of them drove back, they listened quietly to the radio and made small talk all the way home. Wilson kept stealing glances at Mary any chance he got. He didn't even hear Billy talking away to no one in the back seat.

He barely even noticed a short man with black hair, gray at the temples, flagging him down as he drove through the construction entrance of his development at twenty-eight miles and hour. Mary yelled at him to stop and he slammed on the brakes, sending two of Billy's action figured flying into the back of the driver's seat with a thud.

The man finally caught up with Wilson's car, only slightly huffing and puffing.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, I am so sorry to ruin a return of a family outing. It's just that…"

Wilson got a strange feeling from this man. He reached for Mary's hand and squeezed it tightly, trying to protect her as best he knew how. "Yes?"

"My boss yelled at us for letting people go through the construction entrance. I'm supposed to tell you not to do that anymore."

"Sure. Um, if you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm a construction manager for these twenty lots."

"I see."

Mary shook Wilson's arm, reprimanding him for being so rude. "Wilson!" she said yelled quietly.

"I'll let you three go. Just back around and go in the proper way please." Wilson nodded. "You live in the center of the cul de sac, right? The one with the lights?"

Mary laughed. "Yup, that's it." She quickly ate her words, thinking that she was implying that she was living with him, or that they were married or something like that.

The construction worker saw Mary suck in her breath and laughed at her. It was a shrill laugh- one with sinister pitch to it that made Mary shudder. "OK." He waved. "Bye now."

As Wilson drove around, he turned to Mary. "Isn't it Sunday?"

It took her a few seconds to catch on, but she did in time. "Yeah." Mary thought over that concept for a few seconds. "Didn't you say they were behind on construction? Maybe they're just trying to catch up."

"Yeah, maybe."

When they finally made their way around to Wilson's house after the sermon, Mary sat down next to Wilson at his kitchen table.

"Yes?"

She smiled. "How did you know I was going to say something?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just did."

"I was just wondering what you thought dying was like. Do you believe in all that stuff my dad was saying?"

He looked down and then, deciding he had nothing to hide from Mary, looked back up at her. "I used to think about it a lot actually. And out of all the theories that people have told me over the years, things mostly to make me feel better, I decided not to follow any of it and make up my own theory." She smiled at him sympathetically. "I hope that dying is like an extension of life, but in a new place. Like…moving to Europe and taking all your old friends with you."

"That sounds nice."

"I mean, you can't be certain of anything, but that's what I'd want it to be. It probably won't be ideal, but as long as it's as good as my life is right now, then it'll be perfect."

She leaned in and kissed him. "I'm part of that perfection, right?"

"Possibly." A sly smiled grew on his face. "I'd need another kiss to be sure."

"Oh really?"

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A/N: Heh. Not saying anything more than that or I'll spoil it. Oh, and I've been working on this story lately, more out of sheer boredom than anything else, and it's going to be even more absurd now than I previously thought. But we'll cross those bridges when we get to them now won't we? They'll be two of them so far. Two "Bridges to Absurdity".

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Foreshadowing anyone? Review.

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	4. Chapter 4

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Mary called Wilson during her lunch break that day. He sounded relieved to hear from her.

"I was just about to call you," Wilson said, slightly flustered.

She caught the tone in his voice. "Everything OK?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. It's just that I have to work late tonight, we have some project that I'm working on and I can't leave, and I have no one to watch Billy. I just called my mom and asked her, and she can watch him until about 6:45, but then she has to go to some banquet with my dad for the hospital."

"I'll watch him for you."

"You will? Thank you so much." Wilson smiled.

"Oh, it's no problem. I love spending time with Billy."

"I'll be back by 9:00 the latest. If you could just make something for dinner for Billy, I'll bring us something to eat."

"Sure." Mary smiled on the other end. She'd always jump to do something for Wilson, because she knew he was committed to her. He'd always be there to take care of her; he always had in the past.

Mary showed up at Wilson's parents' house around 6:00. She got off of work at five o'clock, ran home to change and get clothes to wear for the next day, and then went straight there to pick up Billy.

"Hi Mrs. West," Mary said with a smile after the front door opened. "How are you?"

Mrs. West motioned Mary inside. "I'm good. How are things with you and Wilson?"

"Amazing actually." Billy ran up from the back of the house and hugged Mary. "Hey sweetheart."

"Hi Mary." Billy smiled. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yeah. Your grandparents have to go out."

Billy nodded. "I know. Dad called me. He said to say thank you and to behave."

Mary patted Billy on the head with a laugh. "OK. Let's go sport."

Billy and Mary pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Billy went in before Mary, and she stayed outside and surveyed the land. She saw a car sitting in the middle of the street on the side opposite of the other house. She thought that was odd, but didn't want to freak Billy out, so she didn't do or say anything. Mary just walked into the house and kept her fears at bay.

Mary sat with Billy and paid him more attention than he had had in weeks. She helped him with his homework, cooked him some macaroni and cheese for dinner, and just spent time with him.

"So," she said as she sat with him and he ate, "what's on your mind Billy?"

He laughed at her. "Nothing. …Why aren't you eating?"

"Your dad is bringing something home for me and him to eat when he's done working."

"Like a date?"

"Kind of, yeah."

Billy smiled. "Are you and Dad going to get married?"

Mary had a feeling he was going to ask her something of that sort. Billy always talked about those sorts of things. His mind was so simple and he always said exactly what he was thinking. "I don't know. Maybe." Since she knew that Billy was eager to talk to her, this would be a great time to get some information out of him. "Do you like that I'm dating your dad?"

He took a bite of his macaroni and swallowed. "Yeah. It's almost like having a mom." Mary tensed, but didn't say anything. Billy continued. "I know you would never be my real mom, but you're like a mom to me." Mary didn't know how to respond to that. In true Billy fashion, he just kept going and going until someone stopped him. "I think my dad should have married Corey. I didn't really like her that much, but then I would have had a mom and Bernadette would have had a dad."

"I know you really want a mom," Mary finally said, "but you can't force things. If your dad marries someone that he doesn't love, you won't be happy."

Billy grinned, "That's why I want Dad to marry you."

"Do you think he loves me?"

He giggled. "Yeah. Duh."

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Five minutes before Wilson came home, Billy seemed to be tuckered out for the night. He and Mary ran around the house for hours playing, and by 9:00 he was falling asleep on the other end of the couch. Just as Mary was about to suggest that maybe he should head up to bed, Wilson walked through the door. Billy shot up much faster than Mary could and ran over to greet his father at the front door. Billy actually jumped up and down as he recounted his past few hours with Mary as Wilson took his coat off.

Wilson just nodded at Billy, almost too tired to respond, and smiled meekly at Mary when she finally came in.

"What type of pizza did you bring?" Billy opened the box that Wilson had set down on the ledge in the foyer.

"Half pepperoni, half broccoli."

"Gross!" Billy said, picking off the white plastic device that was used to keep the cheese from sticking to the box. "Who eats broccoli?"

"I do," Mary said.

"Oh." He paused. "Then it's OK." Billy yawned and looked from his father to Mary. "I'm going to bed now, since you have gross pizza. Good night dad," he turned and hugged Mary, "good night, Mary."

"Good night."

Billy ran up the stairs, and Wilson just rolled his eyes at his son. "Sometimes I think he likes you more than he does me."

She stepped closer to Wilson. "That's because it's true." Mary pulled Wilson in for a tight hug. "Don't worry about him. He's got a heart of gold. But he's an attention hog. His favorite person of the moment is whoever he's going to get to pay attention to him."

"I know." He sighed on her shoulder. "I hope he didn't make you run around too much."

"We had fun." Wilson pulled away and looked at Mary, not convinced. "We did."

"OK. …And, and thanks again. I really owe you."

"I know."

Wilson laughed and finally let go of Mary. "Pizza?"

Mary took the pizza and linked arms with Wilson for their walk into the kitchen. "Gladly."

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Mary snuggled into Wilson on the couch. After eating for thirty minutes and kissing for an hour, plus a full day of work, they were both exhausted. "So, are we sleeping on the couch tonight?"

He laughed at her audacity. "Don't you have to get back home for work tomorrow?"

"Nope. I have a change of clothes in my car. I can leave for work right from here."

"Won't your parents get worried if you just don't come home?"

"Maybe, but-"

"Won't they get suspicious?" He knew there was no way that Mary's parents would be OK with Mary spending the night at Wilson's house, and even less OK with them having a physical relationship like they were. She'd stayed out on the weekends before, but he thought a weeknight would be way too obvious. It didn't matter that she was an adult who had already been married and known Wilson since she was fourteen. A sin is still a sin.

She kissed his neck. "Don't make me leave. Please Wilson," she rubbed his stomach. "Please."

"All right, all right." He smiled and closed his eyes. "But I'm going right to sleep. Today was really stressful and I'm beat."

"Fine by me. I just want to be with you."

He rubbed his hand over her cheek. "You're really great, you know that Mare?"

She grinned as she sat up, pulling Wilson with her. "I try." Mary went to go upstairs, but Wilson pulled her back. "What?"

"I love you, Mary."

She sucked in her breath. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do." He smiled. "Now-now if you don't want to say it back to me right now or if you don't…I mean, you don't have to-"

Mary grabbed Wilson and kissed him passionately. "I love you, too." She kissed him again. "Now let's go to bed." When Mary walked up the stairs that night, she made a mental note. Listen to Billy more.

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A/N: This chapter is fine I guess. But this is where it starts to go downhill I think. I never should have had them really fall in love. But I guess that is required for the story to work. Gah, who knows at this point? The only thing that I am thinking about at this point is the next chapter and how I just don't want to post it. It's so…ridiculous. If you have caught on to what I am leading up to, well that's what's coming up next. Hence the apprehension.

Oh, and some of you seem to be confused. I don't really know what there is to explain, especially at this point, but what's happening is Mary and Wilson are both coming off long-term, important relationships and they fell back into the comfort they had with each other. Now they just said they love each other. That's basically it as of yet.

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Review to calm my next-chapter fears.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Wilson had a knock on his door that Thursday night a little after he got home from work. He opened the door, not knowing who to expect on the other side, and was slightly shocked at who he saw.

"Just me," the construction manager said to Wilson upon seeing his perplexed look.

Wilson snapped out of it. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, no. I just wanted to tell you that we had to shut off the water for your street. We're installing new pipes up ahead. So I wouldn't advise you to take a shower with the missus right about now." Wilson didn't know quite how to respond to that. The man peered into Wilson's house. "Where is she, in back cooking dinner?"

"I'm not married."

"Oh, then who was-"

Wilson had had enough. This man was way too pushy for his own good. "Thank you for the information." With that, Wilson shut the door in the man's face. He had had enough.

When Mary came over later, Wilson asked her if she had seen anyone outside when she came in. She told him no, and Wilson's dropped it. Catering to Mary's fears would be the last thing that Wilson would need. Wilson walked into the kitchen and turned on the faucet. The pipes didn't retch or anything; the water came out fine.

"So…" Mary said, tracing her finger across the back of his neck.

"Yes?"

"I'm not going to be able to come over tomorrow night. My dad is doing this thing with Matt's in-laws and he's making all of us go."

"All right."

"All right?" She spun him around. "You're not supposed to say 'all right'. You're supposed to tell me to skip it and come over and see you because you can't bear to spend a night away from me."

He stared at her seriously. "Mary?"

"Yes?"

"Just go to the thing."

She pouted. "But if you don't protest then I have no reason to make it up to you tonight for going tomorrow."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I don't want you to go."

She laughed and he did, too, placing his forehead against hers. He rubbed the back of her neck and he smiled. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

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Mary rode along with Lucy and Kevin to the event that was going on at Rabbi Glass's synagogue that Friday night. After the regular Sabbath services, the Rabbi had partnered with Reverend Camden to have an interfaith shindig to promote unity, since his congregation had recently expressed their distaste for a new wave of anti-Semitism they felt.

"So…" Kevin said.

"How's work going?" Mary asked, trying to make polite conversation.

"Really good. You?"

When Mary married Carlos, she decided that she didn't want to be a flight attendant anymore. She worked for jetBlue part time during the day and at night finished her associate's degree in paralegal studies by scrounging together the credits she had accumulated over the years and taking the additional required courses. When she finally moved back to GlenOak, she finessed her way into a good job as a legal secretary in one of the top law firms in the area. "Great," she answered. "I love it."

"What exactly do you do?" Lucy asked. "I mean, I know what your title is, but what do you do there all day?"

"Mostly I research things that the lawyers don't have time to do. Mortgages, improper arrests, exact wording of tax laws, stuff like that. And I do the regular secretarial stuff, typing and faxing and those sorts of things."

"Sounds fun," Lucy remarked.

"Well, I like it."

They were running out of safe topics of discussion. Luckily, they had arrived at the synagogue. They got out and went inside, taking a seat next to the rest of the family inside. Richard was going to say something, then Eric probably would, too, and then they would eat. After that, they'd be done and could go home. No one really wanted to be there.

Before the speeches started, Lucy leaned over to Mary. "So, are you going to see Wilson tonight?"

"Luce!"

"No, no. You misunderstand. I just wanted to know if you were going there, that's all."

Mary smiled at Lucy. "Sorry. …No, I'm not going over there tonight. I told him that I had to do this and I'll see him tomorrow."

"Couldn't he have come?"

"Ah, the eternal question."

Lucy looked confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"First off, I don't even want to be here, so I doubt that he did. Second, that would turn this into an outing and that wouldn't be good. Everyone would be all over Wilson. He's not more important than Jewish/Christian unity, is he?"

Lucy laughed and laughed. "No, I guess not."

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Mary woke up the next morning bright and early. She decided last night as she listened to her father drone on and on that she was going to get all dolled up to go see Wilson the next morning. She'd gotten up early enough so she would be able to shower and do her hair and makeup exactly the way she wanted and be at his house around 9:30.

Mary picked out her clothes and put them on her bed- a pair of tight jeans and a scoop necked red shirt. She showered and as soon as she went out, she got right to work on her hair. She combed the knots out and then whipped out her blow-dryer. With a flat brush, she blew her hair dry and mostly straight. Then, reaching into the cabinet under the sink, Mary pulled out the Velcro curlers. She pinned up every piece of her hair and then went to get dressed. Next came her makeup, in which she accentuated her eyes, and then after a sprits of hairspray her hair came down.

Mary looked in the full length mirror on the back door of the upstairs bathroom. Satisfied with what she saw, she grabbed her purse and walked downstairs. Annie and Ruthie were both in the kitchen.

"Whoa," Ruthie said. "Why are you all dressed up?"

"Better question," Annie said. "Where are you going looking like that at 9:15 in the morning?"

"Wilson's."

"You've been spending an awful lot of time over there," Annie continued.

"Is that a problem?"

"No." Annie sighed, and then smiled at Mary. She was worried about her, but knew that if she showed it Mary would have a fit. "Have a good time."

Mary loved when she drove to Wilson's house at odd hours. Like now, at 9:30 in the morning on a Saturday. There was no traffic on the road and it gave her time to think. As much as Mary hated feeling lonely, she cherished her alone time just as much, if not more, than the next person.

The closer and closer Mary got to Wilson's house, though, the more that she couldn't focus her thoughts. Her stomach jumped to her throat and her heart started pounding. She had no idea why, but she was getting very scared. Mary had freaked herself out so bad that she went through the construction entrance to the development, something she had stopped doing, just because it was the quickest route to Wilson. She needed to see him.

When Mary turned onto Wilson's street, she saw the same car that she had seen before when she was babysitting Billy. As soon as she pulled into Wilson's driveway, the car drove off. Mary shuddered and fumbled with her purse as she looked for the key to Wilson's house. Eventually she found it and went inside.

Mary rested her purse on a nearby table and called out Wilson's name. Usually he was up and downstairs now, but she did not see him. He always heard her come in and would greet her at the door. Maybe he was busy?

Mary walked into the kitchen and saw no sign of him or Billy. That was odd; both were early risers. She continued to go through the house as she contemplated whether or not she should go upstairs and see about him. She walked past the living room but stopped. The house was too quiet. Something was wrong.

Resisting her urge to go directly up to Wilson's room and see if he was there, she turned to the living room. There, square in the middle of the crisp white carpet, was something Mary never had expected to see in her lifetime. A few feet in front of her were two giant freezer bags zipped up tight. Inside were bloody strips of human flesh. Next to each of the bags was a scalp of hair- one straight and light brown, the other black and wavy.

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A/N: This was Ridiculous Event #1. It was completely unexpected, completely stupid, and completely random. I promise there is a point to this. Why else would I do this? I heart him. Anyway, the point isn't that great, but it exists. Chapter 14 that will show up, maybe 15. I just finished 13 tonight.

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I hope you're all not too lost. Review if you want help.

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	6. Chapter 6

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A/N: I got a request from one prodigious reader for more chapters and I have delivered.

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Mary didn't know what to do. Should she stay? Should she flee? Mary stood near her car and thought for a second. When she leaned back against the hood, she felt her cell phone in her back pocket. That's what she would do; she'd call Kevin.

"Hello?" No one answered at the other end. "Hello?" Kevin looked down at the screen of his phone and checked the Caller ID. "Mary?"

"Are-are you busy?"

"I'm at work." Something wasn't right. "What's wrong?"

Mary's voice shook as she spoke. "Can you come here please?"

"Do you need me or do you need the police?"

"Both. I-I don't know. Just come please."

"OK." Kevin motioned Roxanne over. "Calm down. Where are you?"

"Wilson's house." At this point, Mary was on the verge of tears. "Off of North Street, make a right, then a left, then a right, and then two more rights. Go through the Construction Entrance. 75 Belvedere Circle, square in the middle. The name of the development is 'Rolling Knolls'."

"We'll be there in less than ten minutes, OK?"

"Yeah." Mary gulped, afraid in general. She felt afraid for everyone and everything. Kevin was on the road. She was afraid for him. Lucy was without her husband. She was afraid for her. She felt trapped in a vortex of fear.

Kevin showed up in about seven minutes, citing getting a bit lost as his reason for not reaching there earlier.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I," Mary couldn't say what she saw. She wasn't entirely sure; she didn't want to be sure. "Just go inside. You have to see for yourself."

"I can't," Kevin said simply.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"What Kevin means," Roxanne started, glaring at Kevin for giving Mary a sub-par response, "is that we aren't allowed to go in without a search warrant or probable cause."

"Unless if you want to tell us what's in there."

Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No. I'll just let you guys in. I have a key."

Mary walked up the driveway and to the front door. Her hand shook violently as she tried to place the key in the hole. After thirty seconds, she succeeded and carefully turned it. She let the door swing open while staying outside.

Kevin and Roxanne shrugged and stepped inside carefully. Mary leaned against the side of Wilson's house for physical support while she waited to hear Roxanne and Kevin's response. It was quiet outside, so she could hear them walking through the house. From the way it sounded, they walked through the foyer and into the kitchen, and then into the living room, the same way that Mary had.

Mary heard Roxanne scream a little and Mary closed her eyes tightly. She hadn't just seen an illusion.

"Kevin, what is that?"

"That's…" Kevin stared down in disbelief, "that's Wilson and his son." Kevin took a deep breath, just as Mary had, and turned to Roxanne. "You call for back-up. I'll stay with Mary."

At least something was going in Mary's favor. She got to deal with Kevin instead of Roxanne. Roxanne went off to the car to radio in for backup and Kevin went over to Mary.

"How are you doing?"

Mary didn't answer him. "That, that is-" Kevin nodded before Mary could finish her question. "Yeah, I thought so." Mary started shaking and her teeth began to chatter. Kevin just stood there watching her. When she finally calmed a little, he spoke.

"Well, um," Kevin didn't really know what he should say to her, "you should be able to go home in a couple of hours or so." That was the best he could come up with.

"I'm staying right here until I can get some answers. But why a couple of hours?"

"Well, they're going to want to question you. And then probably tomorrow or the next day, after they get a detective officially assigned to a case, you'll be called in again for questioning."

"Great," Mary said, tears welling in her eyes. She tried to will them way, to think about happy things, but that just seemed like an impossible and daunting task for her. The more Mary tried to keep it all together, the more she couldn't. Mary started bawling standing in front of Kevin, her first real act of emotion since she had found Wilson and Billy's severed bodies in the plastic bags in the middle of their living room floor.

Kevin had no idea what he should do in this situation. He began to think of Mary in terms of Lucy. If Lucy were standing crying in front of someone that she knew and Kevin couldn't get to her, Kevin would hope that person would try to comfort his wife. Apprehensively, Kevin put his arms around Mary and embraced her. She wept into his shoulder, crying harder and harder as she clutched at his navy blue shirt.

Two cop cars came barreling down the street. Another two followed them at a slower speed. All four stopped in front of Wilson's house and emptied. Kevin pulled away from Mary and Roxanne went over to her fellow cops. Kevin smiled reassuringly at Mary and joined Roxanne. The cops all talked together loudly before going inside of Wilson's house. They went inside, looked around, let out manly screams, and then came back out.

One of them approached Mary. "Who are you?"

"Girlfriend."

"Oh." The police officer sighed. "I'm sorry."

Within the next half hour, two of the cops left. A van showed up with three more of them, and people went inside to take pictures and collect evidence. Eventually, Detective Michaels showed up. Mary remembered why she knew him and how she knew him as he started to walk over to her. Once again, she had succeeded in disgracing her family.

"Hi Mary."

"Hello," she croaked.

"I'm sorry about all of this. But would you be willing to answer a few questions?"

"If it will help then sure."

Detective Michaels smiled at her. He knew how much she must be hurting. "Tell me everything that happened this morning up until when you called Kevin."

Mary took a deep breath. "I…I got up early and-"

"Do you remember what time?"

She nodded. "The alarm was set for 6:45. I got up and got ready to come over to Wilson's house. I, um, I left around 9:15 and got here around 9:30. I came inside and…and no one was there."

"How did you get in?"

"Wilson gave me a key a while ago." He nodded. "So there was no sign of anyone so I just walked around and then I saw _that_…and I freaked out and went outside and called Kevin."

"OK. Thank you Mary."

She sniveled. "You're welcome."

"You can go home now. We'll be in touch."

"What?" she said. The little bit that was holding Mary together snapped. "This isn't a job interview! My boyfriend and his son were hacked up into little pieces! I'm not going until you know something, anything."

"Mary, please calm down."

"Calm down? How can I calm down? I don't- I don't know who did this, or why they did this, or if they're after me, too, or-"

Kevin came running over, seeing Mary freaking out on Detective Michaels, and tried to help her out. "What's going on?"

"She won't leave."

"Does she have to?"

"Yes. This is official police business and civilians are not allowed to be hanging around."

Kevin was really going to bat for Mary. "Then put up the 'crime scene' tape and let her stand behind it. She just doesn't want to leave. Can't you respect that?"

"Fine," Michaels said, "but please try to calm down Mary."

Mary rubbed her hand over her face. "I'll try my hardest. Thank you, sir." He left, but Kevin remained. "And thanks Kevin."

"You're welcome. But-"

"But what?"

"Let me call Lucy. She can come and just be here with you. It will help, trust me.

Mary knew that she was in no position to argue with him. He had just secured her post outside of Wilson's house. Besides, he was only trying to help her. "Fine, call her."

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A/N: So my main problem with this story, really, is this chapter. I probably should have skipped all of it. I don't think it actually goes anywhere. Mary is mildly upset. Roxanne, Kevin, and the bunch do probably about the weirdest copping I have ever seen. The whole thing just doesn't work. I'm not very good at showing extreme emotion, the type of emotion this chapter called for. After this is gets kind of better, I promise you.

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Reviews might keep Lucy away. Or bring her. Whichever you prefer.

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	7. Chapter 7

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Mary paced back and forth in the small area that the police had awarded her to go. She was dreading Lucy coming. The last thing that she wanted was for Lucy to look at her with sympathetic eyes and try to help. There would not be anything she would be able to do. Wilson was gone and no one can fix that.

Lucy pulled into the street, driving cautiously as she usually did, and stopped it a few feet away from Mary was standing. She climbed out and locked the car, taking her purse with her. As soon as Mary saw her, all her previous notions about what she thought Lucy would be like in this situation were erased. She needed someone to comfort her- someone who would be a little less rigid than Kevin was.

Mary walked over to Lucy's car and met her as she walked. Lucy just threw her arms around Mary and, although she was much smaller, pulled Mary in closely. As Mary let go of everything and cried harder than she knew she ever could, Lucy tried to think of something to say to Mary that would be at least remotely comforting in this heart-wrenching situation.

"You know he loved you," Lucy said.

Mary nodded onto Lucy's shoulder. "I know. That's what makes this so hard."

Kevin came over to the sisters the first chance that he got. He was admittedly busy now that the GlenOak Police Department had a big case on its hands, but he really wasn't panning out to have a big role in it anyway. He could steal away for a few moments to see his wife and check on his sister-in-law.

Mary, who was always so strong and carried herself in such a way that made most people stay back, now seemed so fragile in Lucy's arms. It was a sorry sight to see.

"So," Mary sniveled when she saw Kevin come nearer. "How goes it?"

"Not too great. There isn't much to go by. There was no sign of forced entry, nothing broken in the house, nothing to indicate anything."

"What does that mean?"

"It means they are definitely going to want to question you later."

"What? Why?"

"Because you had a key. You wouldn't have had to break a window or jimmy the lock or anything to get inside his house."

"But-" Mary could barely choke out words through her sobs. "I didn't. I wouldn't. I-I. I loved him."

Lucy hugged Mary again. After everything she had been through in the past year, this was the last thing that Mary needed. Their family didn't need it, either. No one deserves to live in fear and with regret. Now Mary would probably live with both for the rest of her life.

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When Mary finally felt like there was no further need for her to stand outside of Wilson's house, she left. Before she left, one of the detectives that had come down had urged her not to go anywhere far. They were going to have to question her at some point, get her official alibi and all of that. Mary just nodded as everyone kept speaking to her, only absorbing about half of what they were telling her. She just needed to get home.

Mary sat in her car outside of her house, waiting for someone to come out and get her. Lucy agreed to go inside and tell the family so that Mary wouldn't have to. As she sat there, she kept thinking of Wilson. Feeling his presence next to her, near her. It was going to take a while to get him out of her head. He wouldn't be there to talk to, to snuggle up next to at night, to tell her when she was acting nuts. She was just going to need to accept that and move on. How else was she going to be able to survive?

Mary guessed who was going to come running out to her first. Her mother? Lucy again? Eric came walking out somberly and got into the passenger's side of Mary's car. She didn't look at him for a few moments, but when she did she could barely keep the tears in her eyes from falling.

"Remember when I brought you home from the hospital after you were hit by that car and told you you were going to have a tough road ahead of you?" She nodded slowly, sucking in her lips. "This is going to be the same way. It's not going to be easy, but you are capable of getting through this."

A few tears finally fell from her eyes. "I don't think I can."

Eric smiled slightly, remembering his conversation with Mary from the past. "You're the most fearless person I know. Face this head on. Eventually you will be OK." Mary started to sob. "It will all be OK."

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Birds swept down from the sky and dove toward the ground. They started out small and brown, but the closer they came the darker and bigger they got until they morphed into crows with a twelve foot wingspan. Wilson and Billy were running as fast as they could, but it wasn't fast enough. Billy, who was lagging behind, was the first victim. A bird swooped down from the air and lifted the hair off of his head with its beak. Billy fell to the ground and crumbled into bloody morsels of flesh that bounced on impact with the ground and then rained down. Wilson was still going strong, but the birds were getting faster. One of them tried to grab at his hair, but with limited success. He cawed for backup and two more birds came. All three tried to lift off Wilson's hair, but he was clutching it tightly. Finally, the birds won out and flew away with it. Wilson suffered the same fate as Billy did, falling to the ground and crumbling, only before he fell she saw his face. Scared, tired, angry- so much emotion from that bald head.

Mary shook her head and cleared her mind. If those were what her daydreams were like, she was happy that she was too upset to sleep. She quietly walked around to all of the doors in the house that lead to the outside, locking them one by one before settling back on the stool in the kitchen. She'd cried for approximately ten hours, sat bemused and alone for another three, and then went downstairs to check the locks. As much as she knew it was being selfish to be so concerned with herself at this point, she was petrified that someone was after her. As far as Mary knew, Wilson didn't have any enemies. This made no sense.

She looked down at her hands. They were trembling. She tried to make them stop by clenching her muscles, but to no avail. The strength of her emotions was far stronger than her physical strength.

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A/N: Well, let's see now. I still think Mary and everyone else are completely unfeeling. Mary's daydream came out of my own insane fear of birds. That's all I've got I think.

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	8. Chapter 8

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Mary sat all alone in her bedroom. Well, the bedroom wasn't actually hers. She had just taken the extra bed in the attic with Ruthie. It was more her room than anything else. Even though they were sharing the space, no one ever would have known. Since Wilson and Billy were murdered, Ruthie barely came upstairs. Mary hadn't ventured out much, but she suspected that the others all warned Ruthie about crowding Mary's space.

They were right to do so. If anyone was in there spying on her for most of the day, she would have taken it as a lack of compassion and an extreme invasion of her privacy. It would have been especially awkward with all of the phone calls Mary received the next day on her cell phone.

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end, and then the other person spoke. "Hi Mary."

Anger automatically rose through Mary's body. "Hi Carlos." She took a deep breath. "Who called you?"

He almost smiled on the other end. "Ruthie. I know she shouldn't have, but she was just trying to help you out. Don't be mad at her." Mary didn't respond. She was mad at Ruthie, but that was nothing compared to the residual anger she felt for Carlos. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, just great considering my husband cheated on me and then, once I thought I was getting my life on track again, my boyfriend and his son are chopped up into little pieces. I'd say I'm much better than I have been in a long time." Mary paused. "How are your many mistresses?"

"There are no 'many mistresses.' It's just me."

"And I suppose you're lonely? And, and that is supposed to be my problem?"

"No." Carlos sighed angrily. "I probably shouldn't have called. You're just as frustrating as ever."

"Did you want something? Because in about three seconds I am going to hang up on you."

"Do you want to see me? Do you need me? I'll catch a plane out there if you want me to."

Mary took a few breaths and tried to give him the most level-headed answer she could muster. "It's kind of nice of you to offer, but I don't want to see you. I already have enough to deal with. You would just complicate things immensely."

"OK." There wasn't much arguing with that. He gave it his best effort, and he was shot down. "I'm sorry for what happened to, uh, your boyfriend."

Mary just rolled her eyes. A real man would have apologized for what he did to her before, or in addition to, what had happened. "Thanks." She hung up the phone, not wanting to hear anymore of what he had to say, and leaned back against her bed. Mary closed her eyes tightly and tried to will away the images of the plastic bags that flooded her brain. With her eyes still shut, Mary felt around for the box of tissues on her bed. She laid there for hours, crying herself to a sleep-like state.

An image flashed of a man with a knife, swords, hair. Mary sat straight up, grabbing at her heart. She wanted to rip it out so that she wouldn't be able to feel anymore. Her heart always got her in so much trouble. Everyone's did.

Mary needed to clear her head. Without really thinking about it, she opened the door and went downstairs, through the kitchen, and out to the back stoop. She crouched down and sat there, staring out aimlessly at her backyard. This was what it felt like to lose someone that you really loved. This was horrible. One thing was for sure, though. Mary had never loved Carlos. When he hurt her, when she left him, it didn't feel anything close to this. Mary had connected with Wilson. Carlos was just a warm body in the form of a cold man.

Wilson meant more to Mary than she ever thought he really did. She kept trying to convince herself this time around, after everything that had happened with Carlos, that she didn't need Wilson to function. That Wilson, as much as she cared about him, was just another man. This was nothing permanent, this was nothing long-term. She wasn't looking for a life-changing relationship. She just found him convenient to get over Carlos with. It was easy to fall back into step with an old flame. But after two weeks, it was so hard to be apart from him. They got so close so fast. Deep rooted emotional connections can do that to a relationship.

As Mary surveyed her homestead, her cell phone rang next to her again. After not being able to sleep the night before at all, she was a little bit cranky and didn't want to hear from anyone. When she picked up the phone, she saw a number that she did not recognize. This will be amusing, she thought.

"Hello?"

The person on the other end was sobbing, but trying to stop. "Mary?"

She couldn't exactly tell who was on the other end. "Yes?"

"It's Patrice West." Wilson's mother- of course.

"Hi," Mary said overtly sympathetic. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, just awful." She began to sob again. "Awful."

Mary was going to say that she was sorry about Wilson and Billy, but decided this was not necessary. She was missing them, albeit in a different way, just like Mrs. West was.

"What about you? How are you holding up?"

This was the first time someone had asked Mary this in a while. She started to get choked up, but suppressed her tears as best she could. "I'm- I'm spooked and heartbroken. It just seems so surreal. I keep thinking that I'll wake up tomorrow and it will all go back to normal."

"Yeah." Mrs. West sniveled. "I know what you mean. Anyway, I was calling because Jeff is out somewhere looking at funeral parlors." A few sobs escaped, but after that Patrice pulled herself together. "He's gone crazy. We- we don't even have bodies to bury, really, and he's been talking about caskets."

"I'm sure it's just his way of coping."

"Yes. He was always one of those types who liked to keep busy. What I wanted to know was if you had any pressing engagements for the upcoming week. I would hate to shut you out of the services. You were their favorite person, both of them."

Mary leaned her elbow on her knee and rested her head in her hand. "Um, I don't have anything to do. And, even if I did, I don't think I would be able to. "This," Mary took a deep breath to keep from crying, "this is going to take a while."

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A/N: I love this chapter, if not only for the sheer fact that Mary hates Carlos. But she doesn't really hate him beneath the surface- she's mad at herself for never loving him and, more than that, that he never loved her back. Ever. Wilson wasn't like that at all but now he's gone; it hits home the reality of Mary past, present, and future for her- or at least I hope it does. Besides that, I hate the way I portray Wilson's parents. Usually I have his mom be this flighty person who doesn't know much (which now that I think of it might be modeled after someone's mom I know) and his father is unfeeling but not a bad guy. There has to be some sort of hidden meaning in always making them that way. Whatever.

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Reviews will speed up the while it is going to take.

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	9. Chapter 9

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Mary walked through the cemetery a few feet back from Dr and Mrs. West. Lucy had come with Mary- and only Lucy. Mary didn't want to cause a scene by bringing her whole family, or really want to spend the whole day with them. Lucy locked arms with Mary in an attempt to comfort her and Mary sighed.

"Are you OK?"

"No." Mary pouted. "This is awful."

"I know." Lucy looked Mary in the eye. "You can cry, you know."

"I think I'm all cried out actually. I just want Wilson back. I miss him."

"I can't imagine how much. I mean, if Kevin-"

"It's not the same. The commitment wasn't there. And, and I'm really mad at myself. We were just supposed to be having fun a way to men our broken hearts. But I just ended up breaking it worse. I never should have gone out with him in the first place.

"What? Why?"

"Because now I feel like this- like I lost something."

"Well, that's because you did. Mary-"

Mary pulled back from Lucy. 'Luce, no. Just stop. It's not helping." Mary started to run away when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around quickly and angrily, expecting to see Lucy behind her. Instead, she saw a man in a tan trench coat of about fifity0five with light brown hair and glasses. Mary's eyes immediately flashed to Lucy a few feet back, scared something would happen to her.

"Mary Camden?"

"Yes?" She gulped.

"Detective Shapiro. I've been assigned to the murders of Wilson West Jr. and Sr. Can I talk to you for a few minutes?" Mary nodded and followed the man.

"Any leads?"

"Possibly. Are you busy this afternoon? I'd like you to come into the station for questioning."

"I'm a suspect, aren't I?"

"At the moment, yes. You were involved with Wilson- the father- correct?" Mary nodded. "romance is a strong thing. It drives people to do all sorts of stuff."

"I didn't kill them."

"I never said you did."

Mary sighed. "Of course you didn't. What time do you want to see me?"

"Any time after 1:00."

Mary glared at the man, but tried her best to appear pleasant. She really didn't feel like being arrested for Wilson and Billy's murder that afternoon. "I'll be there at 1:00."

Detective Shapiro nodded, left, and Lucy came over to Mary. "Who was that?"

"A detective." Mary rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. 'I think I want to go home now. I want to say good-bye to his parents and then we can leave."

"OK." Lucy didn't know what else to say. She didn't want to upset Mary or cause a fight. The elder Camden was becoming increasingly belligerent.

Mary walked to where Dr. and Mrs. West were standing talking to some other people. Mrs. West saw Mary coming and excused herself.

"Mary," she said, talking her hands.

"I think I'm going to go home now."

"Starting to be too much?"

Mary smiled weakly. "A little bit."

"Well, thank you for coming."

"Of course."

"And thank you for coming over when you did. Those," she turned around and pointed to the people talking with her husband," would be Billy's other set of grandparents."

"Oh." Mary looked confused. "Didn't they want nothing to do with Wilson and Billy?"

She started to tear up. "Yes. I don't know why. Wilson was a good kid. He did the honorable thing. And, no matter what anyone thinks, he didn't kill her."

Mary smiled faintly. "He always felt he killed her. I mean, he never came out and said it, but you knew."

Mrs. West nodded and burst into hysterics. Mary couldn't help but cry, too. None of this was supposed to happen. Wilson deserved better.

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Mary entered the detective's office a little after one o'clock. She sat at a chair he had set for her silently and waited for him to speak. After getting his things together to take notes, he looked up at her.

"Are you ready?"

"I guess."

"You're not going to start crying on me, are you? Because I don't have any tissues in here."

Mary rolled her eyes at his derogatory and insensitive comment. "No I'll be fine. Just…just please try to respect my privacy."

"I'll try my best." Detective Shapiro scribbled down a few words and then began. "How long did you know Wilson for?"

"Gosh. It's been a while." Mary had to think for a minute. "About eight years now. I met him when he was seventeen. Billy was something like fourteen months old then."

Detective Shapiro started to scribble notes down into his legal pad. "So Wilson became a father at sixteen then?"

Mary shook her head. "Fifteen. He was almost sixteen."

"And you do know that Wilson married Billy's mother then, correct?" Mary nodded. "Tell me what you know about that."

Mary felt uncomfortable. The information that Wilson had let trickle out over the years to Mary was very private. He kept those details so graded that, even though he was dead, it still felt wrong to betray his trust by divulging this information. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Did you know her?"

"No."

"Do you know her name?"

"Rebecca…" Mary racked her brain, but couldn't quite remember. "Rebecca something."

"And how did she die?"

Mary remembered quite clearly having that conversation with Wilson. She hated to ask him, she hated to bring it up, but she was dying to know what had happened. He had practically cried; it broke her heart. "She hemorrhaged to death giving birth to Billy."

"That's unfortunate." Mary nodded. "Did Wilson have any friends?"

"Now? Not really. He had me, he had his son, he had his parents. That was enough for him I think."

"Do you know anything about anyone else he dated?"

Mary cocked her head. Why did he want to know this? She didn't really know all that much. That wasn't exactly something they discussed on a regular basis. Mary always thought that they trusted each other enough that it didn't matter about anyone else. If they were together, they were together- save that whole Ben incident back in Buffalo that never should have happened. "Not really. He was engaged before we started seeing each other again."

"Really?" This was news to Detective Shapiro. "What do you know about that?"

"Well, uh, she was Corey Conway. She's my age. Actually, I knew her since freshman year of high school. We used to play varsity basketball together."

"So they met through you?"

Mary shook her head. "No. They met on a plane from Buffalo back to GlenOak after Wilson got fired and I broke his heart. She was a teen parent, too, had a daughter at fourteen. Bernadette. They hit it off because of that I guess."

"So what happened?"

Mary shrugged. "Not really sure, but she broke it off and he was heart broken. Wilson was never like that. If he was engaged to you like that, he would have married you. He was always big on commitment. Well, except when we were sort of engaged, but that's a whole other story."

"Do you think she would resent you for dating Wilson now?"

"You think she killed him?" Mary laughed. "I doubt it. I mean, you can look into it if you want, you're the detective, but that doesn't make much sense to me."

"What about you? Who did you date before Wilson?"

"Actually I was married." Mary raised an eyebrow. "Carlos Rivera. R-I-V-E-R-A. He's in New York City."

The detective laughed. "Was he the jealous type?"

"No, not really. He didn't care about me at all. That's why I had the marriage annulled; he was cheating on me."

"And when did this all happen?"

"Oh, about a month before I ran into Wilson again. Wilson and I were together for six months this time."

"Did Carlos know you were seeing someone?"

"Yeah, someone in my family told him I was with Wilson again."

"Then he would have a motive."

Mary looked kind of shocked, but quickly tried to hide it. Let him go after Carlos. He definitely deserved it for everything he had put her through. "I guess so."

"All right." Detective Shapiro closed his notepad and put down his pen. "Thanks for your time Mary. I'll be in touch."

He stood and Mary followed. They both walked to the door, but Mary stopped. "Can I ask you something?"

He smiled. "Sure."

"Do you think I'm in any danger?"

He sighed. "Do you want the truth?" She nodded. "Maybe. If this was a deliberate act committed against Wilson- they sought him out for a reason, they knew who he was and wanted to kill him- then yes. If it was more of a random act than anything else then no. These next few weeks will be crucial."

"So what do I do in the meantime?" The fear in Mary's voice was apparent.

"Don't go out at night or alone. Be aware of your surroundings. Watch for suspicious activity."

"OK." Mary sighed heavily. "I loved him you know. Really loved him. Have since I was fourteen. But the older I got, the more messed up I became, and the harder I made it for us to be together."

He smiled sympathetically and put his hand on the open door. "Well, look at it this way. You might have saved your life."

Mary stared Detective Shapiro in the eye and lowered her voice. "I would have died for him."

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A/N: This chapter was so bad! I don't know what it is, but it's just one of those chapters that I hate and never want to look at again. But, anyway, what I wanted to say is that if you look closely, there are little hints for everything. Some of it was purposeful, some of it wasn't, but they're still there. Along with the rest of the ick I've been churning out.

I also must say that, while I am currently working on chapter fifteen, I am really stuck. Not stuck so much as in not knowing what I want to write, but stuck as in I don't know how to get there and I don't care. I really just don't want to do this anymore; I'm over this story already. There's no point to any of it. This is really bad.

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Would you have died for Wilson? Review.

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	10. Chapter 10

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Mary slowly came down the stairs that Saturday morning and went into the kitchen. It had been exactly two weeks since Mary had found Wilson and Billy in their house. Those two weeks had been some of the worst in her life, but it was finally starting to get better. Mary turned the corner and saw Annie in the kitchen. Mary smiled weakly at her mother and finished her descent down the stairs. Annie smiled back.

"Hi sweetie."

"Hi."

"Sleep well?" Mary nodded her head, forlorn. "Are you all right?" Again, she nodded. "Well, uh." Annie flashed a smile. "Breakfast?"

"No thanks."

"OK." Annie had failed in her attempt to reach out to her daughter. "Your father is in his office. He said he'd want to talk to you when you got up."

Mary raised her head from its downward position. "What if I don't want to talk?"

"Please?"

"Fine," she spat back and moved away from the counter. Mary walked heatedly onto the hall and went to her father's office. She knocked timidly and entered. Without a word, she sat in the chair before his desk and looked at him with a blank expression.

"Your mom send you in?" She nodded. "Good, good. I just, I just wanted to know how you were doing."

"How exactly does one answer than question?"

Eric looked at her, confused. "You answer from your heart."

"But, but am I supposed to say that I feel like I can't breath? That I'm lucky if I can go three seconds without thinking about him? That that image is burned into my brain?" Mary broke down and started to cry hysterically. "That I can't stand crying like this?" Her voice was barely audible through her sobs. "I hate this whole thing, and I don't want to talk about it."

"Mare-"

"No." Mary glared at him. "You don't- you can't- you don't get to help me, or try to."

"I won't do anything you don't want me to. But, you might want to talk to someone."

Now she stood. "Why bother? It's not going bring him back to me."

Eric went to follow her out the door. "I don't understand why you always push us away!" he screamed as she left. "We're just trying to help you get through this."

Mary stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at him. "This isn't something to 'get through' or 'get over'." The phone rang and they started at each other. Annie yelled out to Mary; the phone was for her. Mary walked away from her father and into the upstairs hallway. She was going to answer the phone where she had more privacy.

"Hello?"

"Miss Camden?"

"Yes."

"This is Detective Shapiro. I would like to talk to you at your earliest convenience. Are you free today?"

"Yeah. I don't have any plans." Mary sighed. "It's not good news, is it?"

"Not really, no."

"Great," she mumbled, "just great. What time would you want me there?"

"Now is fine."

That was sure quick. Mary looked down; she wasn't dressed yet. "Twenty minutes?"

X

"I wanted to talk to you about your ex-husband."

Mary seemed confused. "Why?"

"Because I called him."

Mary laughed at the prospect of Carlos getting involved with this. "He doesn't know anything."

"That's what he said. So then I called that Conway lady and I don't even know if she knew he was dead."

Mary winced. The words stung. "It was on the news. And there was an article in the paper right after it happened," Mary said, referring to the media coverage that emerged two Sundays ago that hardly did the tragedy justice.

"I know." Detective Shapiro grew quiet.

"What?" Mary knew something was up. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

He sighed heavily and ruffled through some papers. "Well, I was starting to lose hope, thought maybe we'd run out of leads, but then…"

"Then what?" Mary was getting nervous.

"Were you and Wilson a-active?"

"What do you mean 'active'?"

"Did you two have a sexual relationship?" He saw the look on her face. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be crass, but-"

She sighed. "Yes, we were. We did. But I don't see how that would-"

"Did you ever make a tape?"

Mary's eyes widened. "Of- no. No. Never."

Detective Shapiro's eyes turned sympathetic. "I hate to ask, but was Wilson the type to do that behind your back, without you knowing? Guys have been known to-"

"No." She shook her head adamantly. "No. He wouldn't."

"OK." He looked down at his hands and then back up at her. "We have a tape that was left at the police station a few days after the article came out and the news broke on TV. That's usually when we get action on case, after the media gets wind of it. Anyway, it took a while for the tape to make its rounds, but it ended up in my hands and I think it is of you and Wilson having sex."

"Oh boy." She took a few deep breaths. "How?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Did anyone else have access to Wilson's house?"

"Besides me? I don't think so. Maybe his parents." Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. I've one seen Wilson from pictures but I've met you and I'm sure you're the woman,"

"Then it's either Wilson or Carlos." Mary bit her tongue. That was really none of his business. "Can I see it?"

He nodded. "If you want." Detective Shapiro took Mary into another room, darker than the one they were in, and opened a drawer. He took the tape out, put it into the VCR, and hit play.

It was hard for Mary to watch, but at the same time she was entranced. There he was. Wilson. There was no doubt at all. Mary turned away and Detective Shapiro turned it off. "That's him. And me." She stared into the blackness and thought for a while. "Could I have a copy of that? I could, you know, watch it and look for clues. I could probably figure out when it was from."

"The date would be useful." He still looked leery.

"It's a tape of me. I'm not going to exploit it. I think it's disgusting."

Detective Shapiro finally agreed and he made a copy for her.

"Is this all you wanted?"

"Yes, just to tell you that. And that this might be the key. We just have to figure out where that came from."

Mary went to walk out, but then came back. "When you say 'made the rounds', where exactly did this go? Who has seen it?"

"Probably most of the force. I know the entire murder unit saw it."

Fabulous, Mary through, and walked away shaking her head. She figured that she should go find Kevin. She would be mortified if he saw that. It was probably too late anyway, but it was worth a shot.

Mary walked through the station, and everyone kept staring at her. She was definitely turning heads. Finally, she found Kevin at his desk amidst the chaos she was creating. "Kevin," she said quietly, "can we talk for a second?"

He nodded and they walked into the hall. "What are you doing here?"

"Detective Shapiro wanted to see me." She sighed. "Look, there's this tape going around of me and-"

"That's a tape of you?" He was shocked. "Oh Mary."

"Have you seen it?" Kevin shook his head and Mary sighed, relieved. "Good. Could you not watch it? Please? I'd be so embarrassed." He nodded profusely. "And, please _please_ don't tell Lucy about it."

"OK, but-"

"But what?" She knew this was too easy.

"Did you make it?"

"No, of course not."

"Then did he just make it?"

"No. Why does everyone think that? He was such a gentleman. Wilson would have never stood for something like that. Especially to go behind my back and do that. No."

"OK, OK," Kevin said. "Calm down. I believe you."

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A/N: SEX TAPE! Hahahaha. This is how I make my stories awful. I dream up there ridiculous ideas and don't edit them. I guess I am kind of conceptual in that way. I'd rather see how something would pan out than have something relevant to the story.

But, anyhoo, in regards to the lack of updates, I really and truly forgot I was supposed to be working in this story until yesterday afternoon. Sorry about that. I have four or five chapters written after this but I have no motivation to finish. This is going to be one of those stories that just fizzles out at the end, I can feel it.

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Review to be entered to win a copy of the tape.

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	11. Chapter 11

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Mary sat down on the couch with the remote to the TV. Everyone had gone to bed hours ago, and ever since Wilson and Billy were killed she was not able to get more than a half an hour of sleep at one time. There was no better time to turn on the tape and watch it through. She pressed the 'play' button and a green sideways triangle appeared in the corner of her screen as the video cued up.

The sound was a little loud, so she turned down the volume so that she would be the only one that would be able to hear it. The picture quality was pretty bad, and the video was really dark, but it was still perfect. The camera, which seemed to be mounted in the corner of the room and over the door to Wilson's bedroom, was pointed at the top half of the bed. For most of the time, you could only see above their waists, and could barely make them out. But Mary wasn't really concerned over the picture. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound, pretending it was happening anew. She could almost feel his hands on her, touching her back and her stomach. When they finally ended, Mary had tears flowing down her cheeks. It was almost too much for her to bear.

Mary thought that the video was going to end there, but it didn't.

_"Turn on the light?"_ Mary grinned; she knew when this was from.

_"Why? Not tired?"_

_She laughed. "No."_

_He reached up and turned on the light._ The video took a few seconds to adjust to the light, and when it did she could clearly make out their forms. _Mary put her head on the pillow next to Wilson and his hand went to her shoulder._

_"You don't want to go again, do you?"_

_She laughed again. "No." Mary touched his cheek. "I just wanted to see your face."_

_His fingers played on her back. "You OK?"_

_She nodded and rolled into him. "Yeah."_

_"Then, I didn't hurt you, did I? I tried not to."_

_She shook her head and kissed his neck. "No, you didn't hurt me."_

_"I feel like I did something."_

_"It's not you."_

_"We shouldn't have done this. It ruined our relationship."_

_"Will you calm down? You're being ridiculous. It's just that I was thinning about my last first time- my first first time. And I feel like I wasted it. Because this-"_

_"I'm amazing, aren't I?" She laughed. "I knew it."_

_"Well, you are. But I don't know-"_

_He kissed her forehead and sensed her insecurity. "I know. I get it."_

_Mary closed her eyes and ran her hand over his bare chest. "OK. Now I'm ready to go again."_

Mary turned off the tape now and wiped her eyes. What possible reason could the universe have for making them stay apart? The back door opened in the kitchen and Mary quickly popped out the tape. Kevin heard the VCR going and came in from the kitchen.

"You're watching that thing?" He pointed at the tape.

"Yeah." Mary realized how that must have looked. "Not for- no." Her voice got quiet. "Just wanted to see him again."

Kevin understood. "You want something to drink?"

She laughed. "You came over here for a drink?"

"Yeah, well, we didn't have any more milk in the garage."

Kevin opened up the fridge and took out the milk. Mary got out two glasses and set them on the counter. Kevin filled both glasses and they sat at the kitchen table.

"I lost my dad when I was fifteen," Kevin started. "I didn't like to talk about it then and I like to talk about it now even less."

"So it doesn't get any easier?" Mary asked.

"No. But in time I did lost my belligerency over the whole thing. I pushed everyone away and yelled at my mom for the next three years. And then life got in the way and I had to move on."

"So you're saying I just have to wait for life to catch up with me?"

"You have to wait until the next big event, the next defining moment. Then it will will you out of this. But, until then, it's going to be really hard to just forget it all."

Mary nodded. "You're nice to try and comfort me. I know it's not an easy task. But it's going to take a while. I know that."

"Then if you get all of this, why put your family through all the torture?"

Mary smiled slightly. "For the same reasons you did."

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After church that morning, Mary didn't feel like going straight home. The family was all so concerned they were making her sick. She went to Detective Shapiro's office to talk about the tape. Not that she was eager for him to question her on it, but she had figured out the date of the tapes creation. She knocked on his door and entered.

"Mary, come in." She closed the door behind her and sat. "Did you watch the tape?"

"Yes, and I know when the tape was made. It was from the second Saturday in March."

"OK. That helps" Detective Shapiro nodded and got out his calendar. "March 13th, 2004."

"And it was about 10:30 at night. The camera looked like it was in the corner of his bedroom up by the door."

"Yeah. We saw the holes in the ceiling after we got the tape. No evidence of the camera, though."

Mary knew that that wasn't good. They needed more information. "Any leads?"

"We've got nothing Mary. I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to spend on this case, either. This is a long time to go with nothing."

"Are you trying hard enough?"

"Yes. And I've asked around. There's really nothing, Miss Camden. I'm sorry."

"Fine." She considered right then and there telling him she'd take things into her own hands, but she didn't know where to start from.

"I feel for you, I do. But we have rooms and rooms of unsolved cases. Those people feel just as bad as you do."

"So you're just going to let this killer get off? Go free? Make no arrests at all?"

"The only suspect we had was you. So if you want me to arrest you, if that'll make you feel better, I can do that. Otherwise we have no one to arrest."

Mary completely ignored his comments. "And when he comes after me, then what?"

"I'm sorry." He repeated. "I don't know what else to tell you."

"Fine. Just fine." Mary went for the door, but had to have the final word. "When this guy kills me, you're not welcome at my funeral."

Mary ran out of the police department and into her car. She slammed the door behind her and cried and cried. Nothing was going to happen to this sick and twisted man, if it was a man. It had it be a man; Wilson was stronger than probably most women. He was stronger than her. Mary had to bite her lip to finally stop crying. Then she drove back home.

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A/N: That watching-the-sex-tape scene and the conversation with Kevin after is probably my favorite part of the whole story. It's my two favorite things: cute little moments and uncommon pairings. But, back to me hating this. I'm on Chapter… 17 now (16 is completed) and I've realized that this story has no ending. Really. I've been thinking and thinking about it but I've got nothing. There really was no point to this story. It's one of those things that just happen. I guess it's extra contrived, much more than I had previously thought. It probably doesn't seem like that now, but you'll see it as the chapters progress.

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Review and I'll put you on the case.

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	12. Chapter 12

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Mary drove to what used to be Wilson's house and pulled up alongside. She couldn't bear to sit in the driveway, too many memories, so she parked in front of the house and just stared at it. The dark green door, the beige and white stucco, it was almost more than she could handle. Mary just sat there thinking about the first time she came there. Wilson had brought her back after their third date; they had gone twenty minutes away to a new, chic restaurant that had opened a few weeks earlier. She commented on how well he must be doing, and he just laughed at her. They sat in the car for the next fifteen minutes talking. Wilson explained how the house was killing him, but he fell in love with it. It was just as much as he could afford.

Wilson said that he bought the house because he had a feeling about it, that he knew it was the right thing to do and even though they'd be strapped for money for a few years everything would work out in the end. Mary doubted that he ever thought that he was going to be murdered in that house. She still found it hard to wrap her head around that.

Mary sat outside of the house and thought about things for a while. She wondered if he knew he was going to be killed, or if it came suddenly. She wondered if he was scared. She wondered if he knew the killer. She wondered how – not _if_ – Wilson protected Billy. Mary held her tears in lieu of staring at the sharp lines of the building and thinking of Wilson's final moments. She didn't want to have to cry anymore.

After a few hours of solitude, Mary drove off and went back home. She didn't go inside; she just sat in the backyard on the steps staring into space. She wasn't done thinking yet. Lucy came walking out of the kitchen and nearly tripped over Mary en route to the garage.

"Mary?" Mary didn't respond to Lucy, so Lucy sat down next to her. "Have you been here all morning?"

"No. I went and sat outside of Wilson's house, and then I came and sat here." Her voice was monotone and somber, devoid of all emotion.

"Why all the sitting?"

"Just thinking."

"About?"

Mary turned her head to face Lucy. "There are so many unanswered questions, you know? So many things that I will never know, that no one will ever know."

"Like what?"

"Like who the killer was."

"What about the investigation? That detective. Can't he find that out?"

Mary shook her head and began to get choked up. "They're calling it off. They have no more leads and they don't want to do it anymore."

"What? It's only been two months. Some detective this guy is."

"I know. But there's nothing to go on. Two months or two years, I don't know how much it would matter. The guy didn't leave any evidence except for their bodies." She sniveled. "So unless he comes forward and says that he did it, I don't know how they are going to catch him." Lucy wrapped her arms around Mary's shoulders and Mary rested her head on her little sister. "I'm just so upset and confused, Luce. I want to know what it is that he did to deserve this. Because, because if he did something that justified him being killed, then we all should be dead."

Lucy patted her head. She really thought Mary was losing it. "I know sweetie. I know."

"I'm not saying that he was perfect, because he wasn't, but he was pretty close. He was still human, but he was the best man I have ever known."

Lucy nodded. "Every time I saw him, he was always so nice and kind. That's a rarity in today's world."

Mary wiped her eyes. "Sometimes I think I should have been the one to die."

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The next day, Mary was back at work for another Monday morning in the office. She started off by filing the paperwork left over from the Friday before, and then went quickly to work typing up some figures into a spreadsheet that she had to fax off to an accountant. Mary liked the busy work. It kept her mind on the little tasks and let the worrying part of her brain take a rest. But ever since Mary had started to repress a lot of her emotions and thoughts, she had been getting these horrible headaches. She started working at 9:00, and by her 12:15 lunch break her head was killing her.

Mary looked in her purse for her bottle of aspirin. Of course she was all out after the doses she had been taking just to get through the day, so she decided to use her forty-five minute meal break to run back home and get some. She got into her car and must have passed about three drug stores on the way home, but she didn't feel like stopping. Driving was relaxing and Mary wanted to spend the extra five minutes in the car it would take her to get home.

When she got out of her car, she noticed the mailman was coming up the driveway right behind her. Smiling, she took the mail from him and went inside. She threw the mail lazily on the kitchen counter and went up to her bedroom for her pills. She came back down and poured herself a glass of water and downed the pill with one gulp. She thumbed through the mail next to her before leaving again while rubbing her forehead with her middle finger and thumb. There was a letter in the pile in a plain white envelope addressed to her in a generic font without a return address.

Mary carefully opened the envelope and slipped out its inside was a white square of paper small enough to fit into the envelope without having to be folded. The back side was facing her, so she turned it over. On the paper was a message spelled out in letters clipped from magazines and newspapers. Her heart jumped to her throat when she realized what she was holding in her hand.

_Meet me three hundred paces past the red delivery door in the back of the Towne Center Supermarket at 9:00 tomorrow in the woods. If you come alone, you will find out my identity. If not, you will find nothing._

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A/N: Da da dum. But honestly. I doubt that they would just close the case like that after…two months, or whatever I said it had been. I guess the only thing I can say is that it was what I came up with that fit in with where I was going after this. That whole aspirin thing has to go, too. I need a longer attention span. I know this stuff isn't great, but I can't sit long enough to fix them. Or care enough. Probably that last one, haha.

Anyhoo, next chapter I kind of like. If you take it out of context and just read it as it is, it's not half bad I don't think. It was actually almost written well. But savor it, because that's the last good thing that's coming from this story. The whole rest is awful. I recently came up with an ending- a three hundred word conversation about nothing that has to do with anything and ties up nothing. We'll see if I use that or not.

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What do you think Mary is going to do now? Review.

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	13. Chapter 13

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Mary paced around the attic, covering just about every inch of its confines. Ruthie was out, doing _something_, and for that Mary was grateful. She wanted the place all to herself. She needed to think. Obviously she had two choices. Mary could either call up Detective Shapiro and show him the note, or she could not show him and go by herself. Neither option seemed too appealing.

The first thing that popped into Mary's head when she read the note was Detective Shapiro's warning to her- to tell him if she was contacted or suspicious. But, with him focusing on closing the case, she was angry. She didn't think he would give her the kind of help that she needed, the kind of help that would get this guy arrested and keep her safe. Mary thought that if she went to the police, they would just wire her and sit in a van in the parking lot of the grocery store until they heard him say something, or whatever it was that they did to catch guys that were keen on these clandestine meetings.

She figured dealing with the police would be more trouble than it was worth and she would not get her desired results. Mary really didn't want to go it alone, but she felt like she had to. Maybe if she really did come alone, then she could see the man and escape. Then she could go back to the police with something concrete rather than a note to meet in the woods.

Mary went back and forth in her mind for hours before drifting off into sleep.

The next morning she called in sick to work. The machine picked up where she was supposed to leave a message and she started talking. "This is Mary Camden. I've got such a migraine and I can't come in today. I'm so sorry. See you tomorrow, bye." Mary hung up the phone and then reached underneath her pillow where she stashed the note. 9:00. It was 7:56 now.

Mary dressed herself in a plain t-shirt and a baggier pair of jeans. She didn't want to dress in anything too revealing or loud. She just wanted to meet this guy and get it over with. She put a fifty dollar bill in her pocket in case something were to happen to her and she would only have the clothes on her back, and placed her cell phone back into her purse. Mary put a blazer and a pair of heels on so that she would be able to look like she was going to work. She would change into sneakers and take the jacket off once she got in the car.

"Good morning Dad."

"Good morning Mary. Will you be joining me for breakfast?"

"Oh, no, sorry. I have this splitting headache; it's killing my appetite. I'm just going to get going."

"OK." Eric came over patted Mary's arm. No doubt he was still worried about her.

"Bye Dad."

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Mary pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket and completed the final part of her plan. She stuck the note in her glove compartment and then locked her car. If something were to happen to her, the note would be there. They would know that something had happened, that this wasn't just a random act. They would have something solid to go on. Justice could be achieved.

Mary walked around to the back of the grocery store and looked around for the red door. Once she located it, she went and stood with it behind her back. After feeling the cold metal on her arm and taking a deep breath, she started walking in the wooden lot behind the door, counting her steps the whole way. The farther she went, the more anxious she was getting. Mary just wanted to be back in her bed. Why in the world was she doing this? Was she crazy? No, she thought. She was in love…still.

The woods started out sparingly, but quickly thickened the farther back she went. When she got in so far that it would be hard for her to tell what direction she had come from, Mary started to get scared. About fifty steps in front of her in a bit of a clearing, Mary saw a ladder and some rope hanging from a tree. She continued counting out her steps and saw that that was where she was headed.

She stopped next to the ladder and looked around. No one in sight. Maybe this guy didn't show. Maybe he was late. Mary heard the rustling of some leaves behind her but was afraid to turn around. The noise grew closer and she tensed.

"Hello Mary."

Her whole body shaking, Mary turned around. There she was, face to face with the man who had killed Wilson. The man was short, with black hair that was gray at the temples. He made no attempt to mask his identity. "Wh-wh-?" She couldn't even form a complete word. "Who exactly are you?"

"Well, let's see." He stepped closer to Mary. "I used to be the construction manager for all of Rolling Knolls. That Wilson fellow, I built his house. Or helped to build it anyway." Mary started to whimper. "He came by a bunch of times while we were building it, just to check on things. I knew what I wanted to do, and I had two choices for who I was going to kill- either Wilson or that middle-aged guy and his dog on the other side of the street. Wilson and his kid seemed so much more interesting. So I took the key. I planted the cameras. I sat around and watched him."

"And?"

"And then once I saw you I knew I had made the right decision." He approached Mary. Her instinct was to back away, but she was frozen. He reached out and ran his pointer along Mary's cheek bone and she moved her head. "You are gorgeous, aren't you?"

"You killed Wilson because of me?"

He laughed loudly in Mary's face. "Don't get so haughty Mary. I was going to kill him anyway. You were just an added bonus."

"So then why did you kill them?"

"I was bored. I got tired of killing animals. He made me angry. Your choice sweetheart." His eyes iced over when he said the word 'sweetheart'. Mary felt a chill go up her spine and a tear fall onto her cheek. "So I poisoned the kid in his sleep, had it out with that beau of yours, poisoned him, and then chopped them up and put them into the bags. Their bones are buried out here somewhere. I'm not really sure where. I always preferred an unmarked grave." He reached out and touched Mary's hair. "You have such nice hair."

Suddenly, Mary had a new burst of aggression. "Please don't touch me."

"Not in the mood this morning, are we? You were always so friendly with Wilson." He began to cackle.

"No, I'm not," she said hoping to shut him up.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a gun. Mary jumped. He placed the barrel of the gun on her temple and Mary quivered. The cold metal reminded her of the door back in safety. "Change your mind?"

"No." If she was going to die, she was going to die with dignity.

"Fine." He pulled back the pistol and slammed the handle into the side of Mary's face. She recoiled, grabbing the cheek he had stroked moments before, and felt the blood dripping down her face. "Now go climb up that ladder." Mary didn't move. "Go!"

Mary went and stood near the base of the ladder but didn't get on it. She saw him out of the corner of her eye; he still had the gun pointed at her. Grudgingly, Mary climbed up to the top of the ladder.

"Now put that rope around your neck." She wasn't following. "Put the rope around your neck!" Mary was so scared that she did as she was told. "Now jump precious."

Mary cocked her head. Jump? He was going to make her commit suicide, or look like she had committed suicide. He wouldn't be linked to this at all. He would get away with this just like he had gotten away with Wilson and Billy's murder. There was no way she was going to let this happen. She was going to use her death to get this guy. It might not be right away, but he would be captured. Her death would serve a purpose.

"No."

"You know, if I knew you would be this ornery I wouldn't have arranged this little meeting. But I'm a softie at heart. Consider this your dying wish."

"I'm not going to jump."

"Fine then. I'll just shoot you."

"Go ahead."

"What?"

"Shoot me." Mary had to quickly come up for a lie as to why she was being so submissive. "I found out your identity. That was all I wanted. I can rest peacefully now."

"This was easy," he commented. "Bye Mary." He shot the gun, which was aimed at her heart, and Mary jumped. The bullet struck her and she fell off the ladder. A red stain tickled down the front of her shirt as the rope spun her body around and around, lifeless.

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A/N: Ah, this was the good chapter. I'm kind of sad about that though, actually. It all goes downhill from here. But it really doesn't matter I guess. I just want to get these chapters out and be done with it. Now all I need is something bigger and better to write and I'll be all set. I want to try and write something 75,000 words next. If I did 50,000 in one month I could safely assume that I can do 75,000 between now and July, correct? Hopefully. Maybe tomorrow I'll play around with plotlines. Anyway, where was I going with this? I don't ever remember.

I just wanted to say, though. That last sentence. It was supposed to be that when she was shot she fell off the ladder and hanged herself, but it didn't matter because she was already dead because the guy shot her. Her body was supposed to be spinning around on the rope.

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Now I have officially killed Wilson twice and Mary twice in things I have written…and Billy once. Care to kill me? Review.

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	14. Chapter 14

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Mary felt like she was falling, falling faster and faster into a bottomless pit. Her surroundings lightened from black to about a million shades of gray before finally settling on a bright and crisp white. When the brightness engulfed her, she stopped falling. Mary stopped mid-air and then started to rise up. Slowly, and then faster and faster. She felt like she was soaring.

Mary felt a wind come across her body and whisk her arm up into the air. After a few more seconds, she felt her hand go through something cold. Someone grabbed onto her hand and she stopped moving. They pulled Mary up through the interphase and onto solid ground.

Mary looked at her surroundings. Everything was in shades of white or gray and blurry, except for the person in front of her, the one who pulled her out and up. The second she saw him it all hit her- where she was, what she had done, everything. She felt like she should be crying, but no tears came. Before she had a chance to do or say anything, he grabbed her and pulled her into him as tightly as he could.

His left hand went to the back of her head and pulled her face down to his shoulder, which she accepted eagerly. His fingers dug into the back of her hair and she breathed against him. His other hand was at the small of her back. His head, chin on Mary's shoulder, was tilted toward the ground. The two breathed deeply as one.

Finally, Mary pulled back and looked at him. He was wearing a loose-fitting white shirt and white pants. She was wearing the same, only her clothes were a bit more form fitting.

"Are you all right?" His first question. His words played in her ears and made her feel like a whole person again. She was no longer a lonely shell.

"Wilson…"

He picked up her hand and smiled. "Are you OK?" he asked again, needing to hear her say she was.

Instead, she nodded. "Wh- how." Mary gathered her thoughts. "Where are we?"

"The Purgatory."

"How did you know I was coming?"

"They send a letter to your next of kin up here, which apparently is your grandparents. They are supposed to come and greet you."

"So why are you here?"

"Oh, your grandfather came and found me. He said that I should be the one to come and get you, that you'd want to see me over them, especially under these circumstances."

"About that-"

"Shh," he said and touched her lips. "There will be plenty of time for that later." He took her hand and led her to the staircase in the far back corner. They walked up it and then turned to the right, stopping in front of a machine looking similar to an ATM. "Look at the screen and say your name."

She turned to him, confused. "Why?"

"Just do it," he said soothingly, and she did. The platform they were standing on began to move at about the speed of a person jogging, twisting and turning past bunches of doors before finally stopping at one. The sign outside the door read 'Camden, Mary'. "Home sweet home." He opened the door and she entered. Mary's room, which was all white, was comprised of a twin sized bed, a desk, a chair, a television, and small couch.

She turned around to him and sucked in her lips. "Don't leave me."

He knew she was scared. "I wasn't planning on leaving yet." Still holding her hand, he went over to the couch and sat. She followed. "I saw everything you did, and I honestly can't believe it. I knew you were strong, but I never imagined you were that strong."

She grew quiet. "I think what I did was pretty weak, actually. I had nothing left in my life. So I figured 'why not?'."

"No you didn't." He shook his head. "Mare, I know you. You did it out of revenge more than penance."

"Still-"

"Don't make light of it. I'm proud of you. All your work will pay off the day he gets caught and punished."

"Yeah, but now I'm dead." She sighed and changed the subject a little. "What's it like up here?" she asked apprehensively. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.

"It's nice. Nothing to worry about; you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"Are you happy? You seem happy."

"For two months, I'm pretty happy."

"Will I be happy here? Because, to be honest, I'm scared."

He smiled again. He knew she was scared. She had that same look in her eyes. "That happens a lot to people who die violent deaths. It might take a while, depending on how you deal with things. But eventually that will fade away. I promise you that."

"OK." She wanted to believe him, she really did, but she just wasn't sure he was right. "So now what?"

"Now I'm going to leave you alone for a few hours if you don't have any other pressing questions."

"What? A few hours? Why?" Wilson went over to the television and flipped it on. "No, I don't want to watch TV. I want to be with you. Wilson!" She was about ready to throw a fit.

"This isn't a regular television set." The picture came into focus and Mary saw what was on the screen. It had a blank box and next to it the word 'locate'. "It's voice activated. Say the name of the person you want to watch and then 'locate'. You can watch anyone on here. Your family, whoever. All the time. Just use your own discretion, you know?" He put his hand out and rubbed her cheek. "Sit here and watch, because you won't be able to get this time back. I'll come and check on you in a little while, OK?"

"OK," she answered meekly. He walked out of the room without saying anything else. Mary turned to the TV and stared at it for a few moments. "All right," she said aloud. "Fine. Let's test this thing out. Lucy Camden. Locate." A few seconds lapsed and the screen turned black. Mary thought for sure she had broken it, until she saw Lucy walking through the quad of Crawford University, her book bag in tow. For the first time in a very long time, Mary wished she was Lucy.

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A/N: The rest of the story after Mary dies is lame, as you probably have surmised from this chapter here. I'm still posting it, though. I just need a new idea for something great. Then I can start writing new stuff and not feel so bad about the old.

You know, thinking about it, I came up with a very bleak view on heaven. Hrm. I bet that has some hidden psychological meaning to it.

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Reviews are like indulgences.

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	15. Chapter 15

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A/N: Just to warn you, if you see someone you recognize, just go with it. I'd tell you who, but it would ruin the end of the chapter. ;)

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Lucy was driving on the highway back home after a long day of classes and working on a paper in the Crawford University library. Matt was working at the hospital in New York City. Simon was in a class Mary concluded to be something of the Art History persuasion. Ruthie was at home eating a snack with Peter. Martin, the current boarder, was having a fight with Cecilia, Simon's ex-girlfriend. Eric was doing marriage counseling in his office at the church. Annie was marinating meat for dinner. Kevin was looking at bills in the garage apartment.

Mary turned off the television set. This was pointless. She concluded that Wilson thought she would be interested in seeing how her family would cope with her disappearance, and she was, but she wouldn't even be home yet from work. It would be hours, days even, before they really noticed anything. Mary laid back flat on her bed, knees bent over the edge, and closed her eyes. Sleep was no longer necessary, but she tried her hand at it anyway. She was unable to succeed fully, but put herself into a sleep-like state nonetheless.

She laid there waiting for Wilson to return. She knew that he would be back soon. Within an hour or so, there was a knock on her door. Mary heard it, but could not force herself to move, much less get up and open it. Wilson opened the door slowly and smiled when he saw Mary passed out on her bed. He approached her and picked up one of her hands. He squeezed it and she finally opened her eyes. Wilson smiled sympathetically and sat on the edge of her bed, dropping her hand back onto the crisp white comforter.

"So?"

"So nothing. I wouldn't even be home from work yet. They won't even notice I'm not coming home for another hour. Plus, all the nights I was with you and didn't come home until really late– if I came home at all, that isn't going to help them realize that I'm dead."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah," she said sarcastically.

Wilson was worried about her disheveled manner. "Are you OK?"

She sat up. "Fine enough, I guess. Better now that you're here."

"I'm sorry that I left. Maybe I shouldn't have. I just figured you might want some alone time."

"I did." She sighed. "Now I never want to be alone again."

Wilson picked up Mary's hand again and ran his thumb over the back of it. She looked down at his fingers and then up to his face. He smiled weakly, not knowing what else to do, and she tried to smile back.

"What?" he asked. He knew she was going to say something.

"This is weird."

"What's weird?"

"You know." She paused. "Why does it feel different between us? Is it just me, or-"

"No, it's not just you. I think it's the lack of sexual attraction. I still love you, but…"

"It's more respect than wanting me naked?"

He laughed at her. "Yeah, I guess."

Mary laid back down. "That's not fair." Mary felt her sense of humor slowly starting to return. "I wouldn't have died if I would have known I wouldn't be attracted to you anymore."

Wilson laughed heartily. "Is that so?"

"Oh, definitely."

He smiled. "Someone is feeling better."

"A little bit. I'm still upset and shaken, but what can you do about it? Nothing. Better to try and move on from it than reliving it."

"You have a good attitude. I wasn't as chipper as you were. Only recently did I start to come around."

"I guess I'm just more advanced than you are," she said with a laugh. He grinned back at her; Wilson almost forgot what it was like to be with Mary. "So, what do you say? Want to sit and watch my family eat dinner?"

"Actually, I was on my way to go eat myself. Care to join me in the dining hall?"

Mary appeared timid. "What's it like there?"

"It's fine," he said, trying to calm her nerves. "It's just like one giant cafeteria where you can eat whatever you want. No one will bother you."

After a few seconds she decided she would go. "OK. Why not? I trust in you."

Mary followed Wilson as they walked through a variety of hallways. It was a little bit of a walk, but she didn't mind. She was just enjoying being with him. As they approach the dining area, Mary had some trepidation. She could hear people talking amongst themselves. As they turned the corner, Mary saw that there were about two hundred people there. Before she was able to take it all in, she heard a familiar voice calling out her name. Little Billy ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Mary hugged Billy back. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too." He pulled back from her and smiled. "Want to meet my mom?"

Mary wasn't quite following. "Your mom?"

"Yeah, she's here. Come on." Billy picked up Mary's hand and dragged her a few feet until he came to a petite girl with medium length red hair.

"Hi," Becca said.

Mary didn't say anything. Wilson rushed over to where they were standing and stood behind Mary. His presence there let her know that he knew how she had reacted and how she was going to react. Mary looked back at Wilson, at Becca, and then back at Wilson again.

"You know what? I don't feel very much like eating. I think I'm just going to go back to my room." She smiled nervously and began to walk out.

"Mary!" Wilson went to follow her.

"Don't," Becca said to him calmly. "It's not something you're going to be able to fix."

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A/N: I hated this chapter. With a passion. The whole thing just stinks. Mary's fickle and annoying. And I am resurrecting Becca, without resurrecting her actually because she's still dead. That's who you were supposed to recognize. That's Billy's mother, Wilson's wife from when he was sixteen, that I made up for my story that chronicled Wilson's life from Billy's conception to birth. If you haven't read it and would like to, click on my pen name. The title is That Was When He Saw Her.

Next chapter is one giant conversation, 1165 words of conversation to be exact. I have to edit that one though before I post it. It's not exactly right yet.

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Wilson's current flame with his old one? Whatever will happen? Review.

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	16. Chapter 16

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Becca knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Wilson, go away! I don't-" Becca opened the door and Mary stopped. "I'm sorry. I thought you were Wilson."

"I heard." Becca smiled weakly. "Do you think we could talk?"

"I guess." Mary sighed as Becca walked over and sat down in the chair. "I'm sorry, this is weird."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're dead."

Becca laughed and moved her hair off of her shoulders. "So are you."

"Yeah. But, I never met you. You've always been dead. And now you're here, and you're sixteen, and it's weird." Mary looked down at her hands. "I feel like the other woman."

"That's because you are." Mary wasn't amused. "Sorry, I was just trying to make a joke. Guess it wasn't funny."

"Did he send you in here?"

"No, I wanted to see you. I'd wanted to come since you got here, but I was trying to give you some space. I'm sorry about what Billy did. He doesn't understand."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Billy understands a lot more than people give him credit for."

"Like when he told you that Wilson loved you?"

Mary raised her eyebrows. "You know about that?"

Becca nodded. "I saw it. I watched them all the time. I was the only one from my family up here, except for some drunk uncle that I never really knew who found Jesus and then died. I used to be really lonely. I spent most of my time watching them. So, in the process, I've seen you- which makes this a lot weirder for me than it does for you."

"What did you see?" Mary wasn't mad, more like intrigued.

"Oh, tons of things. I saw Wilson meet you. I saw your first date. I saw him break up with you. I saw you two in Buffalo. I saw you the last few months. Pretty much everything."

Mary's mind flashed to that tape of her that circulated through the GlenOak Police Department a month ago. "Everything?"

Becca smiled. "Not everything. I do have _some_ morals."

"So is that what you wanted to see me about? To tell me that you know all about me?"

"No. I wanted to say thank you."

She didn't get it. "For what? Stealing your family?"

"For taking care of Wilson and Billy. They were so happy when you were around. I know you guys never actually married, but you were always the mother I couldn't be to Billy and the wife I couldn't be to Wilson."

"You make it sound like I did something great. I didn't."

"Yes you did. I'm sure you don't see it, but you did what many women never would have done. You saw Wilson for himself and not just some pathetic widow or some screwed up teenager."

"To be honest, that was one of the things that first attracted me to him. He was interesting. He had a past. He was broken. …I was still whole when I met him. I wanted to take care of him. Then it ended up being the other way around."

"That's not what he's said."

"What does he say about me to you?"

She started laughing. "He told me that he wasn't sure if I'd like you or not. That you were a good girl. I never was and he knew that."

"You weren't? He talked about you as if-"

"As if I was a God?"

Mary laughed a little. "Yeah, sort of."

"Wilson would never say a bad thing about me- ever. But how do you think I ended up getting pregnant at sixteen by a freshman?"

Mary shrugged. "Things happen."

"No, things happen to people like Wilson. Because of people like me. My parents hated me, for no real reason, and I guess I decided to give them a reason to hate me. I was never home, I drank a lot, I slept around, I dated guys way too old for me."

"So then how did Wilson end up with you?"

"Wilson wasn't the guy that you know now. He wasn't even the guy you met when you were in high school. He had the makings of being that guy, but he wasn't there yet. At least not until after he met you. When I met Wilson, he was the big-shot swimming prodigy. It was a shame that he had to give that up. Anyway, he'd go out to the parties and drink and stuff. He was this little popularity-hungry kid. Well, he wasn't that little. He was about 5' 7" then.

"I was someone else's girlfriend, and he'd still talk to me. For hours. He was just your typical high school guy, nothing special. But that was nothing compared to after I died. He'd have these bouts of self-loathing depression. Sometimes he wanted to spend every second with Billy, others he wanted nothing to do with him all. He didn't go out a lot, but when he did he just wouldn't come home. He'd go out and drink a lot and started sleeping with lots of girls. He became something of a legend and he used that to his advantage."

Mary couldn't believe it. "Did he tell you all of this?"

"I saw most of it. But I asked him about it and he didn't deny it."

"So what snapped him out of it?"

"I don't really know. He said that he just woke up one day and realized that he was a father and he had to start taking pride in his life. I'm not sure if I believe him."

"Was it the grief counseling maybe? He said that helped a little."

"Maybe. My theory is that he let go of the idea that anything he could ever do would bring me back."

"But he still carried you with him. At any given moment you could just look at him and know he was thinking about you."

"That was just guilt," Becca admitted reluctantly.

"I don't think so. He spoke about you with passion, not just sadness."

Becca shrugged. She wasn't so sure about that. "Did you ever get jealous of me? I know if I was in your position I would have."

"No. I understood that him loving you didn't mean that he loved me any less."

"He really did love you. He still does. And I think what you had was better than what he and I did. Wilson kind of grew into loving me. He loved you from the moment he saw you."

Mary blushed a little. "No, he didn't."

"Yes, he did. Close your eyes and think back to that first day you met him. He loved you more than anything."

"I feel like I need to apologize for that."

"What, him loving you? Don't."

"Why not? If it was the other way around, and I finally had my husband back, and then you showed up, I'd hate you."

"I don't hate you."

"Why not?"

"Because you looked out for them when I couldn't."

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A/N: I did some total Wilson character assassination in this, which I am still grappling with. That whole thing was an idea I was toying with, but it doesn't seem to be at all conducive to the type of father he ended up being once he met Mary at the park that day. And a lot of this chapter was just rehashing my other story, and for that I apologize, but Mary never knew any of that stuff (not that it was real, I just made it up.) Now she does. Yet again, another interesting concept that didn't turn out anywhere near how I wanted it to be.

Next chapter is the last one. It's short and leaves you hanging in a "there was no possible ending to this story" kind of way. It actually isn't 100 horrible. Just about 60. That's an improvement I'd say.

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Would you be willing to take care of Wilson and Billy? Review and tell me.

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	17. Chapter 17

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_The bride took a few deep breaths and turned to her father. He took her arm and the wedding march began to play from the organ at the front of the church. They came down the aisle slowly, pacing with the music. Her fiancé stared longingly at his bride coming toward him. She stopped when she got there and they both turned toward the minister._

_Her white dress was adorned with beading on the bodice and fit snugly to her hips. It blended in with the white walls behind and around the pulpit. Her brown hair fell softly on her shoulders in loose waves. The necklace on her neck sparkled in the Saturday morning sun, catching the eye of the man to her left. They both smiled at each other, and the ceremony began._

Mary sat quietly on her bed watching the television. The first person she had thought to watch was her father. She wondered how he was coping with everything, if he suspected she was dead. She watched her dad silently, entranced by what was going on on the screen.

Reverend Eric Camden was in the pulpit of the GlenOak Community Church, performing yet another wedding ceremony. He was just beginning to recite the wedding vows for the couple after giving his little speech about marriage at the start of the service.

_"Do you, Henry, take Stephanie to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

_"I do."_

_"Do you, Stephanie, take Henry to be your lawfully wedded husband?"_

_"I do."_

Tears formed in Mary's eyes as a knock came at the door to her room. Wilson walked inside and sat down next to her.

"Hello."

"Hi."

"What are you watching?"

"My dad. He's doing a wedding."

Wilson smiled. "That's nice."

"Yeah." She paused and then turned to face him. "Do you think we would have gotten married?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It never seemed to be the right time for us." He put his hand on her knee. "But I think we would have been happy… if we ever did. We were right for each other."

"I agree." She put her hand on top of his. "But what about Becca?"

"What _about_ Becca?"

"What would she have thought?"

"She would have been OK with it. She told me."

"You talked about it?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "She told me actually. She's like that."

"I've gathered that. We talked for a while."

Wilson knew that they had spoken from Becca, but wanted to hear Mary's take on it. "About what?"

"About you, Billy, lots of things. She's an interesting person."

"That she is." Wilson wrapped his arm around Mary and patted her shoulder. "You'll be OK, Mare."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Thanks."

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**THE END**

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A/N: I wrote this ending… oh I don't even remember how many times at this point. I think I had two completely different versions and about two different endings to this version I have here. I like it a bit, I must say, but it's too short (this has to be my shortest chapter ever). But this was over with, there wasn't anything left to say. I tried to make it as long as possible but sometimes a piece is just done.

Sorry for the long wait for the end. I just didn't want to post this until I had another idea for a story. Still no such luck, but this is long overdue.

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Thank you for reading my story. Please review.

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